The Shy and The Malignant
by manna77
Summary: AU. Hinata ends up being kidnapped by the Akatsuki who is led by Itachi instead of Pein. What will brew from this strange kidnapping? Read to find out! Rated M just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Intro**

I do NOT own Naruto whatsoever! I just thought I should clear that up. Anyways, my favorite pairing is Gaara and Hinata but I wanted to try an Itachi and Hinata one for now instead. "Text" is talking and 'Text' is thinking. The story is set in an alternate universe and the time is set in the present time, and the Akatsuki is still a 'taking over the world organization'. Except there is no Unknown Leader, Itachi is the leader of the group. Hinata is seventeen and is still quiet, shy and reserved. Instead of Hiashi, she lives with her mother and little sister in an apartment at the very edge of a small town, sorry any Hiashi fans but he's passed away in this story. She doesn't know any of the other Naruto characters, just her little sister and Neji who is still her cousin who lives elsewhere. I hope you enjoy the first chapter in this story!

**Begin**

Hinata walked out of their apartment into the darkened night, only lit up by the yellow light posts. Her mother and sister were asleep and even though her mother disapproved of Hinata going out on her own, especially at night, she liked to sneak out once in a while just to take a small stroll around the quiet town. She also liked to just sit on a swing in the park not too far from the apartment complex and enjoy the night filled with the sounds of bugs chirping and the soft wind. She was walking through the dark parking lot, lit up only by a light here and there, giving everything a yellowish tinge. Hinata turned the corner at the next building that was next to the street and heard talking.

"Once that's done, everyone will be-" was all Hinata heard as someone began a sentence.

She looked over to her left to see a group of people on a patio which was located on the first floor, everyone blackened by the shadows of the balcony above. As she looked at them, she could see their heads turn all of their gazes onto her. One certain pair of eyes caught her own as they seemed illuminated. They were a blood red color with the white surrounding them and they seemed to stare into her soul. Hinata quickly looked down at the ground with a slightly red face, embarrassed at all of the stares and began to walk again as she had stopped, not expecting to see any people much less a whole group of them.

She walked down the path and across the street into the small garden area that was put between the apartments and the park. It had a small fountain in the middle, flowers in spots of dirt located in between the different paths of stone, some small bushes also put randomly, and the garden was completely surrounded by a tall hedge. Even though things seemed to be placed randomly it was still a beautiful garden with all of its lush bouquets of flowers and greenery. Hinata let out a small sigh of relief as she was away from the group but her demeanor soon turned to one of surprise as she realized she should have been watching the ground.

Hinata's feet had strayed off of the pathway and she ran into a low bush. Hinata could feel her face heat up again knowing that the group behind her had probably seen the whole thing. She stepped back from the bush and realized her footsteps weren't the only ones she could hear. Hinata quickly turned her head to see two men clad in dark suits and sunglasses racing towards her. Hinata gasped at seeing them and began to run in the direction of the park. She quickly made it through the garden but with a quick glance back she could see them catching up to her.

_'Oh no! What do I do?'_ she thought trying to think of a way to escape from these strange men.

Hinata ran past the swing set and realized she was getting closer to her favorite tall old oak tree which she loved to climb to the top and gaze at the town which seemed so small when she was up there. Hearing the footsteps and labored breathing chasing her becoming louder, she decided that even though it may trap her, to climb the tree would have to be her escape since outrunning them was not an option as she was getting tired.

She was soon at the base of the tree and without slowing down, Hinata jumped up and grabbed onto one of the lower branches and began to pull herself up. Her efforts to do so were soon proven futile when she felt a hand grasp her ankle and pull hard. Hinata tried hard to hang on as her arms were becoming tired and tender hands becoming scraped against the rough tree bark as she clutched on for dear life.

Hinata's hands and face were covered with a thin layer of sweat as she continued to try to pull herself up but her other ankle was finally caught by the same man who held her other ankle and he pulled, causing her hands to slip off of the branch. The other person who had been chasing Hinata caught her by the shoulders before she could hit the tree and quickly pinned her against the tree. One person went on each side of her and pinned down her shoulder and arm, rendering her immobile. Hinata began to whimper quietly as she thought of her family and wondered if she would ever see them again.

_'What do they want?!' _thought Hinata while looking at the ground, biting her lip to keep herself from crying.

"Now, now. Don't hurt the girl." a deep voice calmly said, interrupting her thoughts.

Hinata looked up to see the man with red eyes, looking back down at her with a slight smirk. She was able to see all of his features now that he wasn't under the dark protection of shadow. Hinata could see his red eyes clearly, and she also noticed long black hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She still struggled as best she could against the strong hands but failed as they held her down tightly. The man with red eyes walked closer to Hinata and slightly bent down to look at her eye to eye. Their faces were very close which made Hinata turn a light shade of pink, she was very uncomfortable with the closeness and so she pushed herself against the tree trunk as much as she could.

"You're scared, I can see it in your eyes." he said with a smirk as he didn't move from his position, noticing of how it made her more nervous. Hinata watched his face nervously as it switched from one with a smirk to one with a frown.

"Now, how much did you hear?" he asked in a serious tone. Not wanting to see that intense gaze, she turned her own to the ground once again.

"I-I d-didn't hear a-anything..." she quietly said, being terrified of these people caused her nervous stutter to worsen.

The loud sound of skin hitting skin echoed throughout the park as his hand came into contact with Hinata's cheek with force. She looked at the ground wide-eyed, with tears threatening to spill and her cheek burning intensely. She looked up at him with a small tear trailing its way down her cheek. Hinata closed her eyes as she flinched and turned her head when he stretched his hand out towards her. She felt her chin being grabbed and her head pulled to face his.

"Open your eyes." he said in a serious tone. Hinata slowly opened them, letting another small tear fall as she bit her bottom lip to try to keep herself from crying. She could see his blood red eyes close to her face with a look that could kill visible in them.

"Tell the truth." he said as he kept her chin in his hand.

"B-but I d-didn't-" she began but she was silenced as she felt his grip tighten on her jaw in a bone crushing grip. Hinata let out a gasp of pain as he said in a more angered voice

"I said to tell the truth, now do so before I make it so you can't eat for a long time." She whimpered and quickly repeated the sentence fragment she heard from when she had passed by them.

"T-that w-was all I heard, I p-promise." she said in a small whimper, hoping he'd let go.

Seeming satisfied with her answer, he let go and nodded at the two men who in turn, let her go as well. Hinata fell to the ground and rubbed her sore cheek and jaw with her hand as she looked up at the trio walking away.

"She doesn't know anything, let's go." Hinata heard him say as they walked back to the street and stepped into a long black limo with the others from the patio inside.

She watched the limo as it drove away and once it was out of sight, she began to cry as quietly as she could so as to not attract the attention of houses close by. Hinata was so happy to still be alive and wiped away her tears as she sat up and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

_'I'm not going to tell Mother, because then she'll know I've been sneaking out. Plus she's been so sick lately, I don't want her to worry about me.'_ she thought as she gazed up at the stars.

Hinata smiled as she saw the full moon and was once again thankful that she was able to see it again. She then stood up and quickly made her way back to her house.

She made sure to quietly open the door and without turning on any lights she took off her shoes so as to not make any noise with them. Hinata's feet were silent as she walked across the carpet and once inside her room, she then closed the door slowly and quietly. She sat down on her bed in the dark room and couldn't help but let a few more tears fall. She lay down and clutched onto her pillow as she silently cried into it, still scared from the experience she just had. Her tears and silent sobs slowly softened as she fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

**Outside POV**

"Looks like Itachi's making girls cry in fear of him now." said a blonde boy with a loud sigh as he let himself lean against the tree.

"Be quieter! Someone will hear us!" said a pink haired girl in a loud whisper as she punched the boy in the head.

"Ow! Jeez, Sakura! That hurt!" he said as he rubbed the spot on his head that had been hit. After a moment he asked "Why didn't we help her when she was being chased?!"

"Because you idiot, we couldn't let the Akatsuki know we were spying on them." replied a raven haired boy as he glared at the building in thought of being so close to his brother but not being able to attack him.

"So now what should we do, Sasuke?" asked the girl known as Sakura. The boy with dark hair known as Sasuke sat in silence as he thought for a moment.

"And he's supposed to be the smart one." mumbled the blonde boy taking advantage of the silence as a way to insult Sasuke.

"Shut up, Naruto! You're just jealous!" said Sakura as she hit him again.

"We keep on eye on both the Akatsuki and the girl to make sure they don't decide to finish her off." said Sasuke before Naruto could retort to Sakura's comment.

Sakura and Naruto nodded in unison. The trio jumped from the tree with lightening speed and began making their way home to rest up for the next day, knowing the evil organization was planning something big.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

I know that Hanabi is really out of character in this chapter but remember, she doesn't have her father to contend with! I hope you enjoy this second installment of The Shy and The Malignant!

**Begin**

Hinata's eyes slowly opened to the sun's rays and the sound of her mother's voice.

"Come on, time to get up!" said her mother smiling as she opened the curtains.

Hinata sat up and let out a big yawn since she was still half asleep.

"Get up, there's a big event going on at the park!" she said with a smile.

Hinata returned the smile as best she could since she was still a little groggy which received a small laugh from her mother at her attempted cheeriness. Her mother left the room to let Hinata get dressed and before moving around she just sat on her bed, staring at the wall, wondering if all that had happened last night had been a dream. She shook it off as though it had been and walked over to her closet. Hinata looked at all of he clothes and decided to wear her trademark heavy jacket and blue capris. Her mother had said there was an event going on at the park.

She grabbed her clothes and walked to the bathroom. Once inside she did her morning routine and was finished in no time. Hinata walked out of the bathroom looking as though she had been up for an hour or so now that she was refreshed. Her mother and sister stood by the front door waiting for her patiently and so she quickly put on her shoes and ran out the door after her mother and sister who had started out seeing she was ready.

"What's going on at the park?" Hinata asked her mother as the three of them were walking there since it wasn't too far.

"There's a big party!!" exclaimed Hanabi happily and energetically.

"There's a big get together, everyone in town is supposed to come." their mother added on with a smile. "There's supposed to be food, music and children's games." she continued still smiling.

Getting closer to the park Hinata could hear the laughter of children and a DJ setup playing different music for all ages. Upon arrival she could see that it was packed full of everyone in town! She looked over to a large semi with the back removed and the deck covered in stereos and other musical equipment along with a person wearing headphones playing the music through the loud speakers. Children were all running around and playing in the playground area on the big play sets, merry go rounds, and swing sets.

Out of the corner of her eye yshe could see Hanabi looking up at their mother with wide puppy dog eyes which their mother returned with a laugh and a nod. Hanabi smiled a wide smile and grabbed Hinata's shirt.

"Come on! Let's go play!" she said excitedly and Hinata looked to her mother for help since she always felt embarrassed playing in the park with everyone there.

"Go and have fun, I'll be at the picnic area talking with my friends. That would be boring for you." Said their mother with a soft laugh. Hinata could only smile at her mother's concern about her becoming bored.

"Okay, let's go!" said Hinata as she smiled down at Hanabi.

Before the duo reached the park she noticed an unfamiliar woman with a tray of candies, handing them out to several children. When she and Hanabi got closer the woman offered Hinata's little sister one and after a nod from her to make sure it was okay to take one, Hanabi eagerly grabbed one and thanked the lady. The woman offered one to Hinata as well but she just smiled.

"No thank you, I'm fine!" she said as she and Hanabi began walking away. Hanabi opened the wrapper and popped the chewy candy into her mouth.

"It's so good! You should try one!" she said happily as she savored the sweet candy.

"Maybe later I will." Hinata replied with a smile.

The two chased each other around the park along with the other kids in a large game of tag. Hinata made sure not to run too fast to make it easier for the younger children so it wouldn't be unfair since you were older. A little girl in blonde pigtails that was younger then Hanabi was, was chasing both the duo towards the play set. As though in sync, Hinata and Hanabi climbed up the slides that were placed by one another and made it to the top with the little girl still trailing behind. Hinata only sat there, slightly out of breath, and watched as the little girl climbed up. She began to slide back down but Hanabi outstretched her hand and helped the girl up.

"Thank you!" said the girl once she was up, breathing heavily and smiling innocently.

Then without warning, she bit Hanabi's hand, and to Hinata it looked like she was biting hard. She was about to ask her to stop when she heard her sister giggle. Hinata gave her a confused look but then realized that it must be a new type of game that was all the rage with the younger kids these days and that maybe she just imagined the little girl biting hard.

The little girl giggled along with Hanabi and then bit down again, even harder, but not hard enough to break skin, Hinata noticed, she realized she could hear giggling and laughing all around as everyone was doing it, even the adults.

_'So__mething's wrong! What's going on?_' she thought to herself.

Hinata saw her little sister reach for her hand, and even though it pained her, she pulled it back from Hanabi before she could grab it and quickly slid down the slide. Hinata didn't want to leave her there while getting bitten but she noticed that there was something different about her as well.

Hinata ran towards the picnic area in search of her mother and made sure to avoid anybody that reached for her and soon found her mother. Her mother's ankle was being bitten but she was laughing as well. Taking a glance around, Hinata noticed that people were biting others, but not hard enough to break skin, and after a moment they would let go and bite someone else, as though they were searching for something. Hinata's mother noticed her and held out an offering hand.

"Come here honey, let mommy make sure you're one of us." she said smiling sweetly as though nothing was wrong.

Hinata took a step back with a look of terror spread across her face.

"Honey, what's wrong?" asked her mother as she stood up and took a step forward with a look of worry on her face.

She took another step, and another, she was about to take another when the music stopped completely and a voice was heard on the microphone.

"You are all having a fun party, un?" said a strange voice over the microphone.

Everyone turned and stared up at the stage with blank stares. Hinata followed their gazes to see a guy up on stage with blonde hair half in a ponytail and half down with some covering part of his face. He was wearing a black outfit with chains. She couldn't help but wonder if he and the man from last night were somehow connected in some way with these strange occurences continuously happening.

"You have all enjoyed the food, yeah?" continued the blonde with a big smile as he looked around the crowd at everyone.

Hinata quickly ducked down to hide as she noticed his head turning in her direction but could tell she was too late as she heard his voice once again on the microphone.

"Someone hasn't tried our food, un." he said as he had seen that Hinata was the only one without the blank stare and that she was moving unlike the rest. Continuing, he made a command saying "Someone bring her up here, un."

Hearing that, Hinata quickly stood up and saw that everyone had turned to look at her. Her face became tinged with a slight pink from all the stares but also had fear written all over it.

"Come on, honey. You're the last one that needs to change." Said Hinata's mother as she held out her hand once again.

Hinata looked at her as though she were a monster, not the mother she loved.

_'Change? What does she mean by that?'_ she thought.

Ignoring her mothers' hand, she turned and began to run from the crowd that began to chase her, slowly but surely advancing on the frightened girl. Hinata looked back to see the guy standing calm on the stage and the crowd still coming at her.

"Sasori-Danna, could you get her?" asked the blonde guy to someone obviously named Sasori.

Hinata gasped slightly and turned her head and began to run even harder, knowing that whoever he was calling was a friend and that she didn't want to be caught by him.

_'What's happening?!'_ thought Hinata in as she quickly rubbed her eyes with her arm because tears were clouding her vision since the reality that everyone she knew and loved weren't the same anymore, they had been changed.

Blocking her own vision for that second hadn't been a good idea as she ran straight into someone who caught her by the wrists before she fell back. Hinata could hear the crowd halt to a stop and stand there as apathetically as before. She looked up to see a red headed male with a look spread over his face that was void of any emotion. He was wearing a white button up shirt with a blue jacket over it and slacks to match the jacket.

"Good job, un!" said the blonde loudly over the microphone.

The one called Sasori just let out a soft sigh at the compliment and began to pull Hinata towards the crowd. She began to struggle and attempt to wriggle free but his grip only grew tighter on her wrist. She then stopped in her tracks and stared at the ground, with her free hand clenched in a fist at your chest.

"I'm s-sorry..." said Hinata in a quiet tone.

Sasori gave her a questioning look when all of the sudden she poised her fist as though she was going to punch him. He was about to grab that hand with his other when her leg kicked him hard in the kneecap. Hinata could hear a crack and felt bad but it caused him to release her and so she took opportunity of the moment to run as fast as she could. Running harder then ever she was soon in the forest and continued to run, even though the branches would pull against her clothes and hair or scrape against her face. Still running you could hear the voice over the microphone again.

"Itachi-sama isn't going to like this..." said Deidara with a sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

I hope you enjoy chapter three of The Shy and The Malignant!

**Begin**

Hinata kept running with stray tears falling down her face as the fact that she couldn't go back hit her hard. After a bit of running she could hear the sound of running water and so she began to slow down, figuring she had gotten pretty far away from the 'Sasori' guy. With a few more steps a stream came into her view. Hinata walked over to the water, cupped her hands, and after dipping them in she drank the cool water from her hands. She knew it wasn't sanitary but right now she just wanted to cool her burning throat.

"She runs fast for someone not like us." said an energetic sounding voice in the woods.

Hinata gasped and quickly turned around. Not seeing anyone, she looked from side to side for the mysterious voice.

"Good going, Naruto! You scared her!" she heard a female voice yell.

"Wh-who's there?" Hinata asked in a terrified voice as she continued to look around for the voices.

Her body had been turning along with her head and she now faced the upstream area. Hinata heard the sound of something hitting the ground behing her several times and so she quickly turned around to see three people standing upright from a crouch.

Two of them were smiling at Hinata while the other was looking in a different direction with a frown that seemed plastered to his face. There were two boys and one girl. The first boy she noticed had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a bright orange jacket with dark brown pants and orange shoes that matched the jacket. The girl had pink hair with green eyes and she was wearing a jean skirt with a red top and ankle high black boots. The final boy had black hair and onyx eyes to match; he was wearing a dark gray shirt with a black jacket, blue jeans, and black shoes.

Hinata took a step back fearfully, unsure of this group because she didn't know if they were here to capture her or if they were going to help her. The pink-haired girl noticed her uneasiness and waved her hands in a nervous manner.

"We're not going to hurt you! We're here to help!" said the girl while still waving.

Yeah, we're against those freaks, believe it!" said the boy with blonde hair pointing in the direction of the park.

Hinata relaxed a little when they said they were against the ones chasing her.

"By the way my name's Naruto!" the blonde continued talking.

"I'm Sakura and this is Sasuke!" said the pink haired girl also introducing the other boy who just replied with a 'Hn'.

"It's n-nice to m-meet you! I'm H-Hinata!" replied Hinata smiling as best she could considering the situation hadn't really left her in a smiling mood. She then continued by asking "W-what's happened t-to everyone?"

"We think the Akatsuki stole something from another bad organization that's led by a man named Orochimaru. And that something was a strange concoction that could change someone's personality completely to follow the orders of the person in command." said Sakura explaining things as best she could.

Hinata gave her a questioning look.

"A-akatsuki? Orochimaru? Who are th-they?" she asked innocently, unaware of what was about to happen.

All of the sudden Sasuke got into a fighting stance. The others followed and Hinata looked at them questioningly, wondering if she had done something wrong.

"W-what's wrong?" she asked fearfully.

Hinata looked at the trio who was glaring at her…or was it past her? She slowly turned around and once turned she saw the red head from before that had been called 'Sasori-Danna'. She let out a small gasp of surprise and was about to run but was grabbed by the wrist again. Hinata looked back at the others with a look of desperation in her eyes. She could hear one of the boys let out a low growl but was unsure as to which but all three of them were glaring at the one holding her hostage. Sasori held Hinata in place by keeping a tight hold around her waist and arms with a gun placed up to her neck.

"What are you doing meddling in things that you shouldn't be messing with?" he asked them keeping that apathetic face on.

"We're here to take you down! Believe it!" said Naruto with a determined smile.

Seeing the small gave Hinata a small ray of hope in terms of escaping. Sasori raised the gun from her neck and fired off three shots at each of the trio.

"N-NO!" yelled Hinata, not wanting them to die because of her.

But they trio swiftly moved out of the way, scaring Hinata with their inhuman speed.

'_How did they do that?_' thought Hinata fearfully and amazed at the same time.

The trio soon realized that it had only been used as a distraction as Sasori was quickly running off with Hinata slung over his shoulder. Hinata clutched onto his shoulder as best she could with both her hands and raised herself up a bit to look to the front to see that she was heading back to town. She quickly looked back to see the others slowly disappearing since they knew they couldn't fight a whole town of citizens.

"P-please don't t-take me back..." Hinata asked in a quiet and begging voice.

She didn't receive an answer but she guessed it had been a 'No' considering he was still running. They soon arrived at the town once again and Hinata saw everyone she once knew and loved dearly with blank stares, as though they were moving corpses. A tear found its way down her cheek as she faced the ground with closed eyes, not wanting to see her mother and sister the same instead of the happy people that they had been.

Sasori walked through the crowd as they stepped aside, creating a path up to the stage. Once up there, he let Hinata fall off his shoulder, earning a small gasp of surprise from her since she had been concentrating on not looking at the blank faces. She looked up to see the blonde guy from before smiling down at her.

"She's cute, un!" he said with a smile as he bent down slightly to get a closer look at her.

Hinata shrinked back a bit, knowing that after what these people had down to her family, that they probably couldn't be trusted.

"She's scared, yeah." he said as he looked at her with an innocent face and a cocked head.

"And she has every reason to be." said a voice from behind the blonde guy.

Hinata shrank back in fear even more as her blood ran cold, recognizing it to be the one from last night. The man with long black hair and vibrant red eyes stepped around the blonde and looked down at her. He looked at Hinata for a moment and then remembered who she was, a small look of surprise on his face.

"You're the same girl from last night." he said with a smirk as he bent down on one knee and grabbed Hinata's chin once again with his hand.

"How's your jaw feeling?" he asked with a growing smirk as he clenched her chin a little tighter, but not as much as he had last night.

Hinata quickly turned her head away after feeling his grip tighten, causing him to let go of her. She didn't want to get hurt again. She looked at him to see him giving her a small glare but before she could say anything, he stood up and looked down at her as though she was a waste of his time.

"Why didn't you eat anything?" he asked with a small sigh as he had expected everyone in town to take part in at least a little bit of the free food.

"I-I wasn't h-hungry." said Hinata in a shaky voice, looking away from that harsh gaze of his.

She heard another exasperated sigh come from him and then he spoke again.

"I suppose I could always have the mixture injected into you." he said in a thoughtful tone, deciding what to do with her.

Hinata heard the blonde speak up as he said "That'd be a waste, un."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Deidara. But you just may be right, she could be useful for something, being the only one who isn't brain dead in this town." Said the red-eyed brunette.

"Why not turn her into a servant, Itachi-sama?" said Sasori as he glanced at Hinata and then back at the one called Itachi.

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment with crossed arms as he thought about the options that were open to him. With a smirk he opened his eyes and looked at Hinata again.

"You get the honor of becoming my personal servant." said Itachi with the smirk still on his face.

Hinata looked at him in horror as she had expected to become a mindless being like the rest but instead, she was going to be his servant?!

"B-but why m-me?" she asked as she looked at him fearfully.

A loud smack could be heard across the park as Deidara flinched back and Sasori kept his apathetic face as always. Hinata raised her hand to her reddened cheek and looked at him again with a questioning look and tears in her eyes.

"You will refer to me as Itachi-sama, understand?" he said in a low voice with a cold glare and a frown.

Hinata shakily nodded her head, now looking down at the ground, not wanting to look at him whatsoever.

"Good, now let's go." he said and she heard him beginning to walk away.

Hinata saw a pair of feet in front of her own and so she looked up to see Deidara holding a hand out to her. She cautiously took it and was pulled up to her feet.

"W-where are w-we g-going?" asked Hinata in a quiet voice as she followed both him and Sasori down the steps of the makeshift stage.

Deidara looked back at her with a smile and said "To your new home, yeah!"

Hinata looked at the ground sadly and looked to see the townsfolk being directed by someone. She could hear a loud voice of the speakers that was telling everyone to go to their homes and wait for further instructions. The man on the stage was quite the odd color.

_'Blue?'_ she thought to herself as she continued to look at the person.

He was dressed in big black pants and a black vest over a long white sleeved shirt. He also had short dark spikey blue hair with shark like eyes. Hinata looked ahead again to see Itachi step into a sleek black limo, probably the same one as last night. Sasori stepped in as well while Deidara waited for her to make sure she wasn't running away. She let out a soft sigh and climbed into the vehicle.

Hinata could see Itachi sitting at the very back and Sasori on a side seat, just looking at the window. She sat down on the seats opposite Itachi and felt the limo shift from more weight as Deidara stepped in and after he closed the door, he sat down next to Sasori. She looked at Sasori and Deidara who seemed to be having a one-sided conversation as Deidara spoke and Sasori only sat there, only adding a comment in every once in a while.

Hinata dared a glance at Itachi who was staring at her with those red eyes. She quickly averted her gaze and looked out a nearby window and watched as the trees and buildings flew past, she watched them fly by as she was being taken to her new 'home'.


	4. Chapter 4

**Begin**

Hinata was lost in thought but was taken out of it when she felt the car slow and turn. She looked out the window again to see the vehicle being pulled up to a huge dark brick mansion. It had several windows, all covered with dark curtains as though to keep out the light…or to keep in secrets. The limo slowed to a stop as it arrived to the large double doors. The door was then opened by the solemn looking chauffer and since she was new to this place, Hinata decided to let the others out first even though she was closest to the exit.

Itachi stood up as tall as he could without hitting his head and made his way to the door, stepping out gracefully. Deidara and Sasori followed and once they were out, Hinata stepped out as well. She looked at the tall three story building that had dark green ivy creeping along its walls, adding to the eerie effect it already contained. Seeing that the others were already walking towards the doors, which were opened by a butler as soon as the car had pulled up, Hinata quickly followed them into her new prison. She walked up the dark concrete steps, fearful of what lay ahead.

Hinata gasped as she stepped into the main hall since she had never seen anything so grand. She looked at the dark wooden staircases that were on opposite sides of the room, leading up to the same floor. A tall statue stood in the center of the room. It was an angel and once she had gotten a closer look at it, it didn't have the kind face she was expecting but the same as a person who is harshly looking down on others and constantly judging them.

Hinata let out a soft sigh and then heard someone clear their throat in an attempt to catch her attention. She looked to see someone looking back at her with a smile. She realized this person was a lot closer then she felt comfortable with and took a step back. Hinata looked at the person with dark black hair, a large black T-shirt with an orange swirl on the front and black pants and shoes to match. One thing she noticed were the boy's eyes; they were the same red as Itachi's were.

"Tobi is supposed to show you to your knew room!" he said with a smile.

Hinata looked around confused, wondering where Tobi was and then it hit her.

'Oh! He refers to himself in the third person!' she thought to herself with a small smile as she was happy that she had figured it out so soon.

But her smile couldn't help but drop as she remembered what she was here for. Hinata looked down at the black and white tiled floor and nodded slowly.

"Don't be sad! Tobi will be a good boy!" he said with a worried look as though he thought she was mad at him.

Hinata looked up and gave him a confused look but then smiled.

"Thank you, Tobi." she said in an attempt to cheer him up.

He smiled and grabbed Hinata's hand making her blush slightly as she was not used to people she didn't know grabbing onto her.

"Tobi will take you to your new room now!" said Tobi as he led Hinata up the staircase on the right.

He was going somewhat fast as if he were excited and so she had to follow in a slight jog since he held her hand.

After several twists and turns, Hinata was still looking down hallways lined dark red carpet and walls that had a dark rich wood that went up to about her waist and then were black, up to the blood red ceiling. The hallways were lit with crystal chandeliers which were much needed since the heavy curtains kept out any light. There were several different prints of famous art works lining the walls by artists such as Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Escher, Picasso, and some others that she didn't quite recognize.

Tobi suddenly stopped, causing Hinata to bump into him which she quickly and quietly said "I'm sorry." He only kept the smile on his face and pointed at the door.

"This is your new room." he said as he twisted the handle and pushed the door open, holding his arms up in a 'Ta-da!' manner.

Hinata stepped into the room to see that it was unlike the rest of the house, instead of dark red walls, the walls were covered in a dark navy blue. The single sized bed was spread with a dark blue that matched the walls along with white and blue pillows set across the black headboard. The room contained the necessities with a black nightstand that held a black lamp with a white shade, and a black dresser in which to place clothes but Hinata didn't have any with her so she didn't think much of it.

'This must be a guest room.' thought Hinata.

She looked at the vanity which matched the rest of the furniture in terms of color and it had a larege, round, silver mirror placed on it. She then saw two doors which she guessed to be a closet and a bathroom.

Hinata looked down with a sad face at the floor, knowing that this would be her new room for a while, at least until she could escape or if she was rescued but she knew there wasn't much chance of that since there really wasn't anybody left to rescue her. Remembering that Tobi was still behind her, Hinata turned around with a smile.

"Thank you!" she said with a smile for Tobi.

Tobi returned the smile with his own and said "Tobi is happy you like your new room! Tobi will let you get settled in now, bye!"

He closed the door behind him as he left, leaving the room as silent as a graveyard. Hinata then noticed something which could interrupt the silence. She noticed a silver bell hanging next to her bed that had a string attached that led to one of the two doors. She couldn't help but wonder what it was and so she decided to see. She walked over to the two doors to see that one had a hole cut out the top right corner through which the string was placed, leading to the next room.

Hinata opened the door without the hole first to see that it was in fact, just an empty closet. She stood in front of the next door, anticipation and dread growing in the pit of her stomach as she was wondering if what was beyond the door was actually a bathroom or not. She reached out with a shaky hand and placed it on the silver knob of the door and slowly turned it. She opened the door just a crack and poked her head in.

She saw it was a bedroom and after a quick survey of the room she saw that it was empty. Hinata opened the door all of the way and stepped onto the plush black carpet and into the dark room that was only lit up by a fireplace with a black mantle that held several and expensive looking knick knack type things. She noticed the string went across the ceiling and led to a large black king sized canopy bed placed on one wall of the large room along with several elegant black furnishings placed around it as well. The string ended with a small black handle, hanging to the left of the bed.

Hinata then looked up to the ceiling to see herself staring back down.

'A mirror ceiling? I've never seen one before, it's quite interesting.' she thought with a smile as the mirror seemed to give everything different dimensions.

The bed, she noticed, had a dark red spread across that matched the wall just like her room was. She realized there was another sound in the room other than the fire, it sounded like running water. She looked across the room to see a door that was ajar with a soft light spilling from it. Hinata knew she should leave the room right away and let the person have their privacy but her curiosity began to get the better of her as her feet unconciously moved towards the door.

The thick carpet silenced her steps as she quietly approached the open door. As she got closer, Hinata could feel a warm steam floating out and raise to the ceiling. She peeked through the open part of the door to see a white bathroom, that seemed so much different then the rest of the house since everything else seemed to be composed of dark colors. She saw many candles of different sizes, being used as the only light source in the room, and also noticed the large white sink with a gleaming golden faucet. A large mirror that covered the whole wall along with the white counter could also be seen from her position.

Hinata let her gaze travel from the mirror to a large empty bathtub with faucets that matched the sink, along with several different soaps lined up on the side placed against the wall. She could also see a plush looking headrest placed at the end of the tub that was opposite the faucet. After she had finished inspecting the tub, she looked to the right of it to see a clear shower door that was fogged up by steam. The fact that someone was probably inside, naked, hit her as Hinata regained her senses which had been lost by the elegance of everything she had seen so far.

Hinata heard the squeak of shower faucets and realized that the person was going to get out. With a small gasp, she quickly turned and ran away from the door and back through the other door to her own room, closing the door louder then she should have. She quickly walked over to the bed and sat down, hoping the person hadn't heard. Hinata sat there for a minute in total silence, she could feel her face had burn up and knew she was blushing at almost having seen someone naked.

'I shouldn't have been invading someone's privacy like that, that was so rude of me!' thought Hinata as she looked at the ground while fidgeting with her fingers in a nervous habit.

She was once again shaken from her thoughts as she heard the handle of the door she had just walked through being turned. Hinata looked up to see the door open fully, revealing a soaking wet Itachi in a black robe that had blood red edges and stitching of a dragon as it seemed to crawl up the robe. She could also see the smirk placed on his lips as he broke the silence.

"Were you spying on me?" asked Itachi with crossed arms.

Hianta continued to fidget nervously as she realized something. Her thought on this new precarious situation was 'My room is connected with Itachi's?!'


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes**

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love to read them and they inspire me to hurry onto the next chapter right away. Some have made me laugh, others make me hurry to get out the next chapter as soon as I can, and others have helped me to think out the next chapter. Thank you! I know Itachi is still really mean to Hinata right now but it will get better, I promise! I'm sorry if any of the characters have been a little out of character but I hope they match up okay! Thank you all for reading my story and continuing with it! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**Begin**

"Well?" said Itachi as he continued to stand there and smirk with crossed arms.

Hinata looked away from his gaze to the ground.

"I w-was shown to my r-room and was t-trying to f-figure out what a-all the d-doors were and I f-found your r-room." She replied nervously.

Itachi walked over towards her and stopped once he was directly in front of Hinata, and she could tell because she could see his bare feet close to the bed she was on.

"But that doesn't explain why you were looking in my bathroom door." he said as he leaned over, placing a hand on each side of Hinata.

Hinata blushed fiercely as he came closer and so she scooted backwards, fully on the bed now, with her knees helping to keep space between her and Itachi. She looked at her legs with her red face to avoid seeing his smirking one.

"I w-was wondering whose r-room that w-was a-and I h-heard the w-water and s-so I..." she started trailing off with her stuttering growing worse as she grew more nervous.

Hinata felt the bed shift as Itachi brought one knee up along with his other one next. She peeked up slightly to see him slowly crawling towards her, and so she crawled back, not wanting the distance between the two of them to be closed.

"And so you…?" Itachi asked as his smirk grew.

Itachi knew that he was making Hinata tense. He could tell from the stutter and the fact that she was crawling away from him and so he continued crawling forward.

"And s-so I w-was j-just…" she said as she continued backward, not sure of how to put in to words that she had let her curiosity get the better of her without sounding stupid.

But before Hinata could find the right words, her hand that she was placing behind her to pull herself farther back, didn't hit bed but air. She fell off the bed, landing on her back with an 'oomph'. She lay on the ground with her arms stretched out at her sides and her legs still halfway on the bed. Hinata could hear a chuckle coming from the bed and turned a million shades of red, feeling embarrassed for having forgotten that sooner or later, the bed would end.

Hinata sat straight up and looked across the bed to see that Itachi had gotten off and was looking at her with a smirk and suppressed laughter. He outstretched his hand and lightly tapped the silver bell with his forefinger, making it let out a small chime.

"This bell is connected to a string which leads to my room. Whenever you hear you are to come immediately. Understand?" he said as he crossed his arms again and looked down at Hinata with a serious expression.

"Y-yes, Itachi-sama." Said Hinata, not forgetting to address him properly since she didn't want to feel the pain of being hit again.

'She's learning quickly.' thought Itachi.

He was remembering the last girl he had chosen to be his private servant had not been a good listener at all so this was quite refreshing to him. Itachi turned and left through the same door he had entered and closed it. He then proceeded to get dressed and get ready for tonight's dinner.

'Th-that was s-scary…' thought Hinata as she let her head rest against the bed and let out a relieved sigh that she had gotten away from him unscathed.

She placed her hands on the bed and pulled herself up, and turned to sit on it. Hinata wondered what to do now that she was here, in a room connected with Itachi's along with a bell for her to run and cater to his every whim.

As she sat there, contemplating on what to do next, Hinata had been letting her gaze travel around the room and then noticed something she hadn't noticed before. She stood up and walked over to large black curtains which felt as though they were made of a thick and heavy fabric when she touched them. Hinata hadn't seen them at first because the dark color had blended in somewhat with the dark blue walls.

Hinata grabbed each one at the center and pulled them apart, being greeted by bright sunlight and a large balcony. She looked through the windows, which she realized could be locked from the outside but they didn't seem to be at the moment. She grabbed the handle of the large glass window and pushed it down, releasing the latch and letting the door slide open with ease.

She stepped out onto the balcony, which was made of the same dark brick as the rest of the mansion, and took in deep breaths of the fresh air. Looking down the wall, Hinata noticed another large set of glass doors which were covered by black and so she guessed that to be Itachi's room. She saw a bench that was crafted of black iron with several elegant designs everywhere on it along with elegant legs. Hinata walked over to the balcony rail and looked down and let out a surprised gasp.

She looked across a large garden filled with many colorful flowers and trees that were exceedingly beautiful. There was a stone pathway that led through the garden from what she could see lined with flowers that were every color imaginable. Tall trees were placed here and there, giving people in the garden some privacy. A tall hedge also surrounded it, which blocked further outside view. Hinata could only see what she guessed to be about a third of the garden but nevertheless, it still took her breath away.

"It's a nice view isn't it?" said a voice behind Hinata which made her turn around sharply with another small gasp.

She saw a man who was half black and half white; he had green hair and cold yellow eyes. He wore baggy green pants with several chains hanging off of the belt loops along with a dark leather jacket over a black shirt. The look he gave her sent chills down Hinata's spine and so she knew to stay alert. He had noticed her gasp and looked at Hinata more closely as he took a couple of steps closer.

"I'm Zetsu." he said and then waited for a moment as though he were waiting for an answer from Hinata.

"Oh! My n-name is H-Hinata." she said quietly after she realized she had been staring and looked to the side again but her gaze turned back to him as he came a bit closer and bent his head down slightly.

"You look tasty…" he said in a hushed voice and Hinata looked at him with a scared face, unsure of what he meant by that.

Before anything else could be said, another voice interjected.

"Zetsu." said Itachi in a low tone, knowing that his subordinate would understand.

Zetsu turned and looked at Itachi with a blank stare and nodded. The black and white man walked over to the balcony and jumped off, easily landing on his feet and walking away as though jumping from those heights was normal. Hinata watched as he walked away and then remembered Itachi was behind her.

Hinata turned and watched as Itachi stepped towards the balcony railing and once there he leaned on his elbows with his forearms laying against the stone railing. She noticed that he was wearing another black suit with a dark red shirt and black tie, the same outfit that she had seen him wearing on the first night she met him. Standing next to him, she lightly placed her fingers on the railing as she looked over the edge and into the garden into which Zetsu had disappeared.

"Zetsu is one to not be alone with." said Itachi as a warning, knowing that he had lost one servant to the cannibal a couple years back.

Hinata couldn't help but shudder as she wondered what could have happened, not knowing the true terror of what Zetsu could really do.

"Th-thank you…" she said quietly, not knowing if she was about to be killed or not but she had decided that thanking him was only right since he did help her if she was about to be hurt.

Itachi had looked over at Hinata, somewhat surprised to hear words of gratitude come from her after having kidnapped her but she hadn't noticed his glance since her gaze was kept at the garden, hiding her blushing face.

"I can't lose my new servant so soon." Itachi said with a smirk. "Ah, speaking of which, follow me." he added on and began walking towards the doors to his bedroom he had so silently come out of before.

Hinata followed obediently, hoping she wasn't in any sort of trouble. She stepped into his room and closed the door but decided to leave the curtain open since the bright sunlight seemed to ease her fears. She continued standing by the glass doors as Itachi walked over to his closet which had mirrors on the doors, opened them up, and began switching through the hangers which held many dark suits.

He soon found what he was looking for and pulled it out. He walked over and held it out for Hinata to take. She took the clothing hesitantly and saw it to be a kimono which was normally worn in Japan, not her country.

"I like the Japanese traditional style more than this country's 'modern' style of maid dresses. They're to short for my taste." Said Itachi nonchalantly.

Hinata looked at the red material that created the kimono and gazed in awe at the stitching that was done beautifully, she looked and saw a pair of shoes dangling from a string that was tied around the top of the hanger with straps that had same design as the kimono and where the foot was placed, looked like fake wood.

"I-it's beautiful…" said Hinata in complete awe as she gazed at it. 'It really is beautiful but it won't look any good on me…' she thought since she felt that she was never much to look at. Plus, red didn't really suit her.

"You are to keep it clean since it's the only one you get and you are to wear it every day, whatever you wear at night, I don't care." said Itachi has he began to explain the rules of her new job. "Also, no leaving the house unattended, going on the balcony alone is fine but that's it." he stated, adding on to the rules.

Hinata looked at the kimono sadly, knowing that going outside wouldn't be something that would happen often.

'At least I'll have the balcony to go on to…' she thought in an attempt to cheer herself up.

She nodded to show she understood the rules and then remembered that she was supposed to address him as –sama but when she looked up to apologize she saw him walking towards the door that she guessed led out of the room and into the hallway.

He turned his head to look back at Hinata and said "Get dressed, I want you to bring me my dinner tonight."

He closed the door behind him and Hinata just remembered that she had no idea where the kitchen was. She quickly went back to her own room, making sure to close the curtains and doors to Itachi's and hers, and quickly changed into the kimono.

Hinata didn't untie it at all but slipped into it from the bottom since she knew that once it was undone that she wouldn't be able to piece it back together. She decided to look at it closer later so she could figure it out but right now she didn't have time. She put her short hair up into a small ponytail and also put a red ribbon that matched the kimono around it. She had found the ribbon in the vanity and decided to use it. She guessed it to be there from the previous girl.

Once done getting ready, she stepped out into the hallway and then looked left and right nervously.

'What do I do now?' thought Hinata in desperation as she looked down the long hallway, unsure of where to go since Tobi had moved so fast in taking her to her room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Begin**

Hinata continued looking down the hallway and knew that she was going to be late to serve dinner if she didn't hurry. She quickly began walking down the hall to her right, going through several twists and turns before she finally stopped. She looked at her surroundings and knew she was lost.

'What should I do?' thought Hinataas she stood there withtears in her eyes and fidgeting with her fingers.

"Are you lost, un?" asked a soft voice from behind Hinata.

She turned around and looked up to see the blonde boy from before that she heard being called 'Deidara.' She was so happy that she finally had seen someone because throughout the whole time she had been running around, there had been absolutely no one in sight in the large mansion. Not being able to control herself from fear, she quickly ran over and grabbed him around the waist, a few tears escaping her eyes.

Deidara was surprised at being grabbed like that but only smiled and placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders, pulling her off of him.

"I-I'm s-sorry, i-it's just that I-I got l-lost and th-then I c-couldn't f-find anyone…" explained Hinata trailing off with another tear finding its way down her cheek.

"I'll help you, un." he said with a smile as he bent down slightly to see her eye to eye since she was shorter then him.

Hinata let out a small smile in return and said "Th-thank you."

Deidara grabbed Hinata's hand and began to slowly pull her in the opposite direction that she had been running. She made sure to take advantage of the slow pace to try to remember the route he was going but it was hard because she didn't know where she had started.

'But I have to try to remember the layout otherwise I'll keep getting lost…' she thought sadly, knowing that her time spent here would be more difficult if she didn't know where she was going. Then she remembered what she did, grabbing onto him like that which made her face turn red again.

'I'll have to try to control myself more...otherwise I'll really embarrass myself even more while here.' she thought to herself.

Hinata felt her hand released as she reached the main entrance with the large staircases and she noticed that Deidara was still walking.

'He must not want anyone to get the wrong idea.' she thought with a small smile as she followed him down the steps.

In reality, Deidara just didn't want Itachi to see him and get beat up for touching his servant, which was difficult since she was so cute. Deidara reached the bottom step and turned to look back at said servant after stopping.

"You look nice in the kimono, un." he said still smiling.

Hinata blushed and held her head down since she wasn't used to compliments, and quietly said "Th-thank you…"

"Better hurry so you're not late, un." said Deidara as he led Hinata to the left side of the room.

She nodded and quickly followed behind him, stopping as he opened the large double doors, leading into a dining room that held a huge table set up with many chairs and plates. Deidara extended his forefinger and pointed to the other end of the large room.

"The kitchen is in there, yeah." he said with his smile not fading, as though he always held that smile on his face.

Hinata nodded and quietly said "Thank you." once more.

She walked slowly to the kitchen, she was wondering what she was going to find on the other side of the door as she shakily reached out her hand to grasp the handle. She heard a door click behind her and so she quickly turned, just to find the room empty.

'He must have left.' thought Hinata with embarrassment as she felt silly for letting a closing door make her jump.

But being in a new place and all like this wasn't easy on her nerves and so she felt somewhat justified for her jumpiness. Hinata then turned back to the door and grabbed onto the handle and gave it a turn. She opened the door to see a sterile looking kitchen that was bigger then she expected. There were several people dressed in white chef outfits hurrying to complete the large supper for tonight.

The aroma of food filled the kitchen and gave Hinata somewhat of a nostalgic feeling as she remembered home. Her mother was a wonderful cook and the house would always smell so good as supper time came around.

"You there! Are you the new servant?" asked an elderly man who Hinata guessed to be the head chef.

He had a somewhat stern but kind face with graying hair. Wrinkles of wisdom lined his face showing he had been through hardships and was well learned.

"Y-yes." replied Hinata in return unsure of what she was supposed to do.

"I see, the supper is served on these silver trays which is brought out by the other servants." he said while pointing at the counter behind him which was lined with silver trays with plates of delicious looking food on them and lids placed next to the tray.

The man continued speaking without introducing himself or asking for her name, "This is the tray you will take out to Itachi-sama. You must be careful so as to not drop it or there will be dire consequences."

The man said all this in a warning tone and she guessed that the last person who dropped a tray did not have a happy ending. She noticed Itachi's tray to have the most elegant designs with traces of gold lines in them unlike the other trays.

'At least I can tell his apart from the rest.' she thought letting out a sigh of relief without having to worry about giving him the wrong tray.

Hinata stood by a corner so as to stay out of the way while supper was finished being prepared. Her stomach let out a quiet growl as she remembered she hadn't eaten anything at all today.

'I guess I should have eaten before the park.' thought Hinata sadly with her hand placed on her stomach.

But she just pushed those thoughts aside as she didn't really feel like eating since her appetite was now lost thinking about how she was still in a new place and her family gone.

Hinata was snapped out of her thoughts as the head chef told her to get Itachi's tray and take it out there since his supper was to be served first. The other servants were already lined up with trays in hand, waiting for her. She nodded with a small blush and quickly stepped forward and grabbed the tray, she was surprised as it was heavier than she expected but she made sure to take care not to drop it and began her way towards the open kitchen door.

She stepped through the door into the vast dining room she had been in earlier and saw all of the seats filled with only a few she recognized. Hinata could see Itachi at the head of the table and so she began to walk in that direction, avoiding the gaze of the people in chairs. Just as she reached Itachi, her ability to walk in tall sandals showed as she stumbled slightly forward, the tray heading not for the table, but Itachi instead.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes**

Thanks again for the reviews! I hope I was able to get this next chapter out quickly enough and I will begin the next one as soon as I can! I hope you enjoy it!

**Begin**

A feeling of dread rushed through Hinata's body as everything suddenly seemed to start moving in slow motion

A feeling of dread rushed through Hinata's body as everything suddenly seemed to start moving in slow motion. She knew there was no way to catch herself, especially without dropping the tray onto Itachi's face. The tray which was slowly slipping out of her hand was swiftly taken from her, not by gravity, but by another hand smoothly sliding underneath it and lifting it up, holding it in the air so that it wasn't falling anymore.

But then there's Hinata, still falling. When she fell, her face hit something soft which she guessed was not the ground as she was still somewhat upright. Her face was pressed against Itachi's upper chest, with her arms on either side of the chair, hanging limply, and she was kneeled in between his legs. Realizing this fact, her face turned as bright as the red kimono she was wearing and so she jumped apologizing with her head down.

"I'm s-so s-sorry! I d-didn't mean t-to do that, h-honestly! I'm j-just n-not used t-to walking in s-sandals and s-so I tri-" said Hinata in a stuttering rant but she was cut off before she could continue.

"Silence." said Itachi being more calm then she was expecting.

He set the tray down on the table still in a calm demeanor and stood up. He seemed to tower over Hinata as he glared at her, the anger in his eyes betraying his calm act. An intense silence hung in the air throughout the room, no one making a sound, and all eyes on both Hinata and Itachi. But the silence did not last long as Itachi's sharp voice spoke.

"You are to go and wait in your room until further notice." he said in a stern voice with arms crossed.

Hinata gulped, nodded and bowed down as she had learned in school was customary in Japan. With her face still red, she quickly went to the doors opposite of the kitchen, opened them and once she went out, silently closed them behind herself. She leaned against them for a moment, breathing heavily at the fear that coursed its way through her veins which made her heart beat fast and her blood run cold.

A small tear crept down her face as Hinata missed home already more then she could presumed she ever could. And on top of that, it was only her first day here. Her eyes trailed over to the large dark wood double doors that led there way outside. The thought of escaping flew through her mind and she knew it would be simple enough.

'Open the doors, run as fast as I can...' thought Hinata to herself.

But she knew if she did that now, she would most likely be caught in no time. Plus she didn't want to find out what would happen if she wasn't in the bedroom when someone came to get her.

Hinata wiped the tear away and made her way toward the stairs, not really paying much attention as to which way she was going but just more or less letting her feet guide her. After only ten minutes of walking around, she realized that she recognized this hallway to some extent and soon found the door which led in to what she was pretty sure was her room.

She extended her hand and lightly grasped the handle and slowly opened the door just a crack and saw that it was her room. With a sigh of relief, Hinata opened it more but stopped at a new sound. The sound she heard sounded like screaming, but muffled as though it were further away. She listened intently, being able to hear it again allowed her to figure out where it was coming from.

Hinata looked down the hall which eventually led back to the staircase and she started to walk down it. She passed many doors until she stopped at one from which the voice came. As soon as she reached out to touch the handle, one last scream erupted from the room and all was silent. Knowing that she should turn and leave, knowing that she should just go to her room and wait as she was told to do, and knowing that the screaming was not a good sign, she couldn't help but grab the handle, twist it, and slowly open the door.

When the door was all of the way open, cold terror swept over Hinata's body, her knees giving out from under her, causing her to fall on them. Even tough the floor was hard, hitting her knees on it didn't even make her blink, it couldn't be compared to what her eyes were set upon. The room was mostly empty. A dark reddish-brown color was splattered all over the walls, strange markings were drawn on the dark floor in black, and in the center of this blood covered room was a single table. A table on which lay a mutilated corpse of what used to be a young woman, some of her body parts missing and mostly naked save for the more important parts covered with tattered and bloody cloth. Blood dripped from what Hinata guessed was fresh wounds and landed on the floor into a puddle with a steady dripping sound.

She couldn't breath. She couldn't move. The horror that lay before her put her in a frozen state which she couln't get out of.

'And sh-she was...j-just...just alive...' thought Hinata as she slowly came back to her senses, remembering that the woman had been screaming.

Wanting to get away from this bloody sight, Hinata mentally yelled at her legs to move and she slowly figured out how to work them again. Hinata stood up and turned to run and leave when she automatically hit something on her first step. She fell backwards and landed inside the doorway, her hand hitting a puddle of blood. She quickly retracted it from the puddle and looked at her blood covered hand as though it were a foreign and horrific object to her.

Hinata looked up to see what she had run into and her gaze landed upon someone she had already seen earlier. It was that strange man who was half black and half white. Before she hadn't gotten the best look at him but now she saw his features more clearly and noticed something else that was strange as he spoke. The black half seemed to be the only one speaking when she could hear his voice resonate throughout the room.

"Let's eat her." Stated the black half.

But the black side was contradicted as the white side then spoke.

"We cannot, she is Itachi-san's servant." Said the white said who definitely seemed more polite.

Hinata's mind had temporarily forgotten what was behind her as it was currently filled with confusion.

"Itachi-san wouldn't care, he doesn't care about the girls he gets as servants, that's why we usually get to eat them." Said the black side in an attempt to get the white side to agree with him.

"Maybe your right, she does look quite tasty." replied the white side as the man continued having a conversation with himself.

As things began registering as to what was going on, Hinata found her voice and said one simple word.

"W-why?" she asked in a quiet tone, fearing the answer but still wanting to know.

"Why the girl is dead, it's because we were eating her." replied the black side in response to her question in a matter of fact tone.

She was even more confused and terrified but before she could ask any other questions, the white side of this odd man began speaking.

"She was to be a virgin sacrifice but when Hidan found out she wasn't a virgin, he said we could eat her." said the white side calmly.

"She isn't all that tasty and we're still hungry..." said the black side as he began raising his arm towards Hinata.

Knowing that she shouldn't stay around much longer and heeding Itachi's warning, Hinata quickly got up and ran past the man and towards her room. She could hear harsh laughing as she opened the door to her room and jumped inside, closing it behind her. Hinata had your back to the door and let herself slide down into a sitting position. She held her knees to her chest and began crying, wishing it was all over.

Hinata's sobs soon quieted down and she continued sitting there, clutching her knees, with her mind going over and over of what she had seen. Her thoughts were interrupted and the horrific image temporarily faded as a small knocking sound echoed through her room. It wasn't from the door but the window. She shakily stood up and hesitantly walked over to the window, hoping it wasn't that person coming to eat you. Her clammy hand cautiously reached up and grabbed a small section of the curtain and she pushed it open just far enough that she could see outside.

What Hinata saw shocked her. It was the three from before. She remembered their names to be Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. The one called Naruto had a wide grin on his face as he waved to her while the other two to seemed to be on guard, watching for signs of danger. Hinata unlocked the large glass door after opening the curtains all the way and opened the door.

"Y-yes?" she asked in a small voice, unsure of what they wanted.

"We're here to help you escape!" said the orange-clad boy in a somewhat hushed voice.

Joy and happiness spread throughout Hinata's body, easing her fears for the first time today but it all came crashing down as her bedroom door opened and in walked Itachi.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes**

Hello, everyone! Thank you for continuing with my story this far already! I have been reading the Naruto manga and I learned the truth about Itachi. It made me cry! It's so sad but I will not say for that would spoil it for those who have not read it. And thanks again for the reviews! They really inspire me to keep my fingers typing! I love to read each and everyone one I get! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I hope the cliffhanger isn't as bad as my others usually are.

**Begin**

Hinata's eyes widened in fear as she saw Itachi standing in the doorway, his face contorted into an expression of anger

Hinata's eyes widened in fear as she saw Itachi standing in the doorway, his face contorted into an expression of anger. She heard a low growl in front of her and saw Sasuke with a look that could kill as he glared at Itachi. She confused at why Sasuke was so angry at her captor since the fact they were brothers was unbeknownst to her. Naruto must have noticed as well since he quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and threw her into Sasuke earning Hinata a small glare from Sakura since she was jealous but she quickly turned her attention back to Itachi, knowing she didn't need to overreact.

"Sasuke, get her out of here. Sakura and I'll hold them back." Naruto quickly said to Sasuke.

"Why can't you take here?" Sasuke asked back in a tone of anger, wanting to get vengeance.

"You're the fastest of us." Sakura said so that Sasuke would listen and get away from Itachi quickly.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a disbelieving look on his face that she had put the orange clad boy down like that, saying that Sasuke was better at something. Naruto was stubbornly thinking that he was faster than Sasuke.

Hinata didn't get to see what was happening next as a voice yelled at her to get on their back. She looked to see Sasuke waiting for her to climb onto his back. Even though she felt awkward in doing so, she did as she was told, wrapping her small arms around his neck so that she wasn't choking him and the crooks of her knees were held by his hands so as to hold her up. It was a little difficult to do with the red kimono Hinata still had on but the two managed and soon he was darting off faster than Hinata had ever gone before. She heard several gunshots and looked behind herself to see Sakura and Naruto jump down from where she and Sasuke had just left, following in a hurried manner as several guards ran out of the mansion in respond to Itachi's order to get Hinata.

Hinata looked up to the balcony that led to her room and saw Itachi standing there. Her eyes met with his for a second and she knew from that menacing gaze, he wasn't going to leave her alone. Not that easily at least. Hinata's gazing into Itachi's red eyes was soon broken as Sasuke ran into the nearby forest with the other two still following close behind.

After a long while of running, the guards had been lost and Hinata was walking behind the three as they led her into a small town which they called Konohana. It was a small, quaint town, quite similar to the one she had once lived in and not all that far away.

The town had a series of stores on the main street such as a grocery store, a library, an arcade, a restaurant, a fire station, etc. If Hinata, remembered correctly, her cousin lived here, too! But her face dropped when she remembered he was studying abroad. His mother and father travelled with him as well, wanting to enjoy the different cultures.

Walking through the town more other then main street, Hinata saw many small houses and apartment buildings. The four of them eventually stopped at a small, gray house, with the windows covered with white blinds. Hinata hoped they would all be resting here as she was extremely exhausted from all the running and walking she had done just earlier today.

Hinata stood on the sidewalk that led up to the house as the three stood on the steps at the doorway.

"Open up! We're tired and hungry!" said Naruto while pounding on the door.

The door was slowly opened so that it was ajar, the crack not letting out any light, but only darkness. The three seem somewhat confused when all of the sudden, a giant boxing glove shot out of the door and punched Naruto in the stomach, causing him to fly through the air and land on the grass right next to Hinata.

Hinata kneeled down in concern to check on Naruto as he laid there in a daze.

"A-are you o-okay?" she asked as she reached out a hand to touch his forehead.

She stopped when a new voice said "He'll be fine. He should learn to have more respect for his elders."

Hinata looked up to see a man with grayish-white hair but a surprisingly young face although older then the others and herself. He also held a book that she figured that he had been reading when Naruto pounded on the door.

"My name is Kakashi." he said with a smile as he walked over towards Hinata and held out his hand for her to shake.

She stretched out her hand slowly in return, slightly shaking. She lightly grasped his hand while his own grip in return was quite firm as she told him her name.

'She seems quite shy and frail. I wonder why they brought her here?' thought Kakashi as he released her hand.

Kakashi continued thinking as he bent down and grabbed the collar of Naruto's shirt and began dragging him inside earning a small gasp from Hinata.

Hinata was shocked at how Kakashi was treating Naruto like a piece of luggage as he dragged the unconscious boy inside.

"Come on in, it appears we have a girl without a place to stay." Said Kakashi, stopping at the doorway.

Hinata's face fell to the ground as tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more as she remembered about her family and wondered how they were doing.

She followed Sakura and Sasuke inside and noticed that Kakashi had dropped Naruto in the entry way by the door. She felt bad for him and then she noticed a blanket and pillow next to a white washer and dryer set that was in a room right next to the entry way. Hinata grabbed them and after lightly lifting Naruto's head, she laid it gingerly back down on the pillow after she had placed it just right. She then covered him up with a red, yellow, and black plaid blanket.

She didn't notice the eyes that were watching her from the kitchen doorway as they bore into her. Kakashi was surprised at her kindness towards someone she had only just met and with a sigh he turned towards the other two who were sitting at a round, red table.

"She's going to have to stay with us for a while. At least until we can find a way to change her town and family back to normal and who knows how long that will take. Could be a few weeks or even years. The Akatsuki have really outdone themselves this time. If they continue at this rate, they'll succeed in bringing this world to ruin." said Kakashi, stating things bluntly.

Hinata was leaning against the wall next to the kitchen doorway, feeling slightly bad for eavesdropping but feeling even worse for her family and friends who may never be saved from the fate they were forced to have from her ex-captors. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she sank to the floor, with her knees held up against her as she lay her head on them. Exhaustion finally taking over, Hinata fell asleep right there with a final tear escaping her eye as she drifted off into the land of dreams...or in this case, nightmares.


	9. Chapter 9

**Begin**

Hinata was running through the dark streets of the small town she had arrived at only last night

Hinata was running through the dark streets of the small town she had arrived at only last night. Somehow, she had been separated from the others and was being chased by Itachi's henchmen once again. She turned a corner and not find a means of escape but a dead end. She quickly turned, gasping for breath and the fear evident in her eyes. They were just about to grab her when….

she shot up in the bed with a start. A thin layer of sweat covered Hinata's face and body as she breathed in and out deeply.

'A d-dream...only a dream...' she thought to herself as she clutched the soft white blankets to her chest.

Hinata did a quick survey of the room to find white walls with light brown carpeting. She was lying on a large bed with white blankets and pillows. The furniture in the room was all a light oak color with white handles.

Hinata was confused as to where she was when the memories came rushing back to her. She still missed everyone dearly but was grateful that she was out of the dark mansion and away from Itachi. Another thought came rushing to her head.

'When did I fall asleep?!' was what screamed in her mind.

After a bit of thinking Hinata recalled that she had been listening to Kakashi and then began to cry but how did she get in this room and in bed?! A furious blush came to her cheeks as she looked down to see a large baggy dark gray T-shirt that was exceedingly large on her and black gym shorts that tied around her waist. The blush became even redder that someone had seen her naked but her thoughts were disrupted when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Y-yes?" asked Hinata in an almost inaudible whisper but the person on the other side of the door must have heard because the door opened.

Once opened, Kakashi, who was fully dressed and ready for the day in tan cargo pants and a tight black T-shirt, stepped inside with a smile and a tall glass of orange juice.

"Nice to see you're awake and not asleep on the floor." he said still smiling as he held out the glass for her to take.

"Th-thank you..." said Hinata as she took the juice.

But she hesitated to take a drink for a question lingered in her mind.

"And don't worry," Kakashi began with an all-knowing expression "I only moved you to the room, Sakura changed you."

She was relieved that another boy hadn't seen her naked but only a girl. Granted she preferred if no one saw her in only her undergarments but at least it was someone of the same gender.

"I'm s-sorry for c-causing to h-have to carry m-me." said Hinata with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto's heavier, he should be thanking me." Kakashi said in a flat-out honest tone.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the small comment and was very grateful to have been taken into such a kind home.

**Fast Forward**

It's been almost a week since Hinata came to Konoha and she was very content in being here. Her newfound friends didn't watch her like a hawk, knowing she was safe in such a heavily guarded town.

'I'm surprised at how robust the police force is!' she thought to herself as she was walking around town.

She noticed that no matter where she went there usually was a cop or two. Hinata knew she should head home soon since the sun was setting. She turned to look at the sun and saw a park silhouetted by the orange and red sky.

'It looks so beautiful!' thought Hinata as her feet moved towards the park of their own will. There was a swing set there which she was ecstatic about since she loved swings.

Hinata sat there, slowly swinging as the light breeze caressed her face while she watched the sun sink.

"You best be careful after dark or goblins will snatch you up." said a deep tone that was unfamiliar to Hinata's ears.

She jumped and quickly turned around causing her to fall onto her butt. Hinata's eyes shot up and saw a man she didn't recognize, standing there as he lightly chuckled. His long black hair draped over his shoulders and black leather shirt which held buckles and rings of all sorts. He had a pale face with strange tattoos on his eyes. He didn't seem to be a very friendly person with the evil smirk that lined his lips.

"Who a-are y-you?" asked Hinata nervously as she continued to sit there with her hands clutched to her chest.

The man came over and knelt down in front of her while leaning on the swing that kept some space between the two which made Hinata feel slightly better.

"I should be asking you that. I've never seen a girl watched by so many cops." he said as he very lightly rocked back and forth, somewhat closing the space with each swing.

'They do?' Hinata began thinking, extremely confused which must have been evident on her face because the man continued.

"You didn't notice? This is the first time I've seen you without cops on your tail. Either you've done something very naughty or you're someone important or someone's after you." he said with a smirk.

Hinata was staring at her knees, comprehending the information when a certain part of the sentence caught her attention.

'When h-has he seen m-me other than tonight? Maybe he had j-just saw me go to the grocery store once as he w-was going about his own b-business.' thought Hinata to herself, happy with the conclusion that she hoped so dearly to be true.

Hinata looked up again to see the man lazily smirking at her and then her saw his eyes light up which made her uncomfortable because of how much they reminded her of snakes.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." he said as he began to stand up.

"E-excuse m-me?" asked Hinata nervously standing up as well, taking a few small steps back.

His eyes became darker with the evil thoughts that crossed through his mind and his smirk went away as he than became serious.

"Kidnapping you." he said as he outstretched his hand toward Hinata.

"Hinata!" said a familiar voice.

Hinata heard her name being shouted and turned to see Naruto standing next to a boy who seemed not too much older than you and was wearing a long sleeve dark shirt with a green vest and dark gray pants; he also had a spiky ponytail. Just as Hinata about to run towards them, an arm snaked across her shoulders, pulling her against a tall and lean body. She felt the coldness of metal as it was pushed against her neck. Her hands were on his arm but were not pulling in fear of the blade being pushed deeper.

Naruto and his friend ran up closer but stopped at seeing the danger Hinata was in.

"Orochimaru, let her go!" Naruto yelled as his hands balled into fists up to the point where his knuckles turned white and his blue eyes filled with hate.

"Calm down, Naruto. Yelling and running into this isn't the best way to go." Naruto's friend calmly stated.

Hinata felt the blade pushed up on her neck a little more, the sharp metal breaking her skin causing a trickle of blood to slowly slide down her throat. Orochimaru leaned down and with a tongue longer than most people have, he licked the blood clean from Hinata's neck, causing her to shiver.

"Tasty." he said as he leaned over to whisper into Hinata's ear, just loud enough for the other two to hear.

Orochimaru was about to move but stopped as he felt something push against the back of his head. He was surprised he hadn't heard the person sneaking up on him. He turned his head a little to catch a glimpse of the person and the surprise went away as it was the leader of the town that resided in the sand. His fiery red hair and blood red tattoo were unmistakable.

"Gaara!" said Naruto with a smile now that Hinata wasn't in as much danger.

She had yet to see this person because the blade on her throat prevented her from moving. Hinata heard the person behind her and Orochimaru speak with a deep tone.

"Let her go." said Gaara in a calm tone.

Orochimaru tightened his grip on the blade and with a swift movement, while still holding Hinata, turned with his arm outstretched that held the blade and slashed at Gaara who simply jumped back and avoided the weapon. Landing a couple feet away, never moving the gun from pointing at Orochimaru, and still held his calm demeanor while Orochimaru was becoming somewhat perturbed that he was getting ganged up on.

Now that she was turned around, Hinata was able to see him better. Gaara had a red T-shirt on with a black long sleeve underneath. The ensemble was complete with baggy black jeans and black shoes. He had dark rings around his eyes and a red tattoo of a Japanese symbol on his head on his forehead.

The gun he held was aimed just above Hinata's head at Orochimaru's. She didn't know what to do as she stood there, stuck with someone holding a knife to her neck and surrounded by unfamiliar people save for Naruto who were thankfully trying to help her. Hinata felt the knife push up a little more as Orochimaru's options began to run out causing him to get angrier. She was unsure of what was going to happen as the sun was almost completely set that gave light to this stand-off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes**

I'm sorry this chapter is so short! I'm working on the next one right away and should have it up really soon! I hope you enjoy the next chapter and thank you all so much for the reviews!

**Begin**

Orochimaru glared at Gaara and knew he was in a tight spot. Gaara kept his silent demeanor as he continued the stare-down in which the only noise was the soft wind blowing. Hinata's hair blew lightly in the wind as did Orochimaru's which slightly grazed her face. It sent a sickly feeling down her spine as evil seemed to adorn every strand of hair. Tears pricked at her eyes as the blade pushed against her neck relentlessly up to the point of where the scratch became deeper.

As the exceedingly long standoff continued, a tear slid down Hinata's cheeks. When suddenly and without warning, she felt a hard push on her back which caused her to fall forward onto Gaara. She blushed that she fell onto yet another person but before she could even apologize, she heard Naruto yell.

"Orochimaru! Get back here!" he said, screaming at the top of his lungs.

After Naruto's dismal attempt at getting Orochimaru to stop, Hinata heard Shikamaru reply with "Give it up, he's already gone."

Hinata looked up to see Gaara's emotionless face staring off at what she guessed to be the direction Orochimaru had gone. She quickly backed up with her face a vibrant red and apologized.

"I'm s-sorry, I d-didn't m-mean to f-fall onto y-you. It's just that he p-pushed me and I d-didn't realize in t-time. I'm s-sorry." she said in a quick manner.

She didn't notice that he wasn't even looking at her because she had her head down. He was just staring at Naruto freaking out that Orochimaru was here and Shikamaru calling Naruto troublesome.

After Hinata calmed down a bit, she noticed the path of Gaara's gaze and looked in the same direction as well. She couldn't help but lightly chuckle at the argument that the other two were having as it seemed quite comical with Naruto's exaggerated movements and Shikamaru's tendency to be uncaring. They seemed to be arguing as to whether or not Naruto would have gotten his butt kicked by the snake like man.

Gaara glanced over at Hinata after hearing her giggle. He was confused as to why she would laugh just after she had her life threatened. Hinata noticed his stare and turned her head with a smile.

"Thank you for helping me." she said without a single stutter.

Strangely enough, Hinata felt quite comfortable around him even though she didn't really know him. Maybe it was because he wasn't like Orochimaru with evil seeping off of him and so her nerves were eased after being around pure evil. Hinata didn't notice that Gaara was confused and surprised by her actions.

'How can she be so cheery?' he thought to himself but did nod in response to her thank you.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked Hinata since the duo seemed to be done arguing.

She looked over at Naruto, her face possessing a look of surprise.

"Y-yes! I'm f-fine." she said with her stuttering having returned.

"But you're bleeding!" Naruto said with an exaggerated sad look as he pointed at the small cut on her neck.

"It's fine, really." said Hinata with a small smile as she lightly touched her neck where the scratch was.

Naruto nodded; satisfied with the answer she gave him.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm going home." said Shikamaru. "And I'm not going on walks with you anymore, Naruto, it's too troublesome."

Hinata couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto as he said or really yelled "What?! What do you mean troublesome?!"

Gaara spoke which was a surprise as he was being rather quiet.

"See you later, Naruto." was all he had said.

Naruto stopped bickering with Shikamaru since he was walking away anyways and looked over at Gaara who was also now walking away.

"See ya!" said Naruto as he waved to both of them.

Once they were out of sight, he looked over at Hinata.

"I guess it's time to go home, huh? You probably want to relax after all of that, right?" he asked with his silly grin on his face.

Hinata nodded and began walking with him towards the house. The walk was silent but short as they were soon back home.

Hinata walked in first not noticing as to how watchful Naruto had been the whole time, keeping an eye out for any sign of Orochimaru.

"We're home!" he said in a loud voice after they both stepped through the door.

Hinata could smell food being cooked in the kitchen and walked in to see Sakura and Sasuke in aprons. Sakura seemed to be watching Sasuke intently with dreamy eyes as he cut up vegetables in a quick and skilled manner.

"Haha! Sasuke's quite the little housewife, isn't he, Hinata?" said Naruto as he gently poked her side with his elbow.

"At least I'm a better cook than you. All you know how to make are cup ramen." retorted Sasuke.

Hinata couldn't help but chuckle at the two who always seemed to have a need to bicker.

"Stupid Naruto! Leave Sasuke alone!" yelled Sakura as she punched Naruto on the head…again.

The first couple of times Hinata saw Sakura do that, she was surprised but realized Naruto had a pretty hard head since he seemed to recuperate after getting hit. She felt really bad for him since he seemed to really like Sakura who in turn, seemed to adore Sasuke who in turn, didn't seem to care. Kakashi seemed to notice as well but didn't say anything, just shook his head at the adolescents' consistent conflicts.

It was now after supper and once Hinata helped do the dishes, which she insisted on, she excused herself for bed as it was getting to be quite late. She lay on the soft sheets of the bed in a long white, cute nightgown lent to her by Sakura. She was a close size to Hinata and since she was without money and clothes, Sakura would lend her the necessities with clothing and Kakashi had purchased anything else Hinata needed which was not much since she hated spending other peoples money.

The gown was not one of those 'sexy' types but higher cut and comfortable with a slight poof to the short sleeves. Sakura said she never wore it since she couldn't attempt to seduce Sasuke in that type of nightgown but Sakura said it looked really cute on Hinata. The sheets weren't made from silk but Hinata felt very comfortable in them nonetheless. The coziness kind of reminded her of home.

Hinata was happy to be in the care of such kind people. A slight rain began to fall outside, causing a rhythmic tapping on the window which made Hinata look in that direction. She watched the rain fall against the window pains and became sleepier by the moment with the sound of rain lulling her towards sleep. Her eyes were half shut when she heard a familiar voice come from the darkest corner of the room.

"Did you miss me?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Begin**

Hinata shot up in bed, looking around the dark room wondering as to where the voice came from which turned out to be the farth

Hinata shot up in bed, looking around the dark room wondering as to where the voice came from which turned out to be the farthest and darkest corner of the room.

"Wh-who's th-there?" she asked the person she had yet to recognize.

When she heard no answer, Hinata began to reach for the switch on the lamp placed on the white end table directly next to her bed. Just as her fingers touched the switch, a cold hand grasped hers, making her unable to turn it on. She tried to pull her hand away but was unable to as the other held her with a strong grip.

"P-please let m-me g-go." Hinata asked as fear began to arise in her more than ever before.

She was about to scream when she realized the other persons face was so close to hers, she could feel their hot breath graze her cheek but she was stopped by a hand place tightly over her mouth. She could only let out a muffled yell which proved to not be at all loud.

Hinata then noticed that while she had been concentrating on screaming, both of her wrists were held by the persons one hand, leaving her with not much way to fight back except for kicking, which is what she began to do. Hinata's legs hit the others side but the kicking was soon stopped once she was pushed back with a heavy weight on top of her. The others legs pinned down hers with ease which caused her to give up on doing that. Hinata's eyes had been adjusting more and more to the darkness and now that she was once again in view of the moon's bright rays, she could make out the others face.

Tears began to well up in Hinata's eyes as fear began to course through her veins when her gaze met the blood red eyes of Itachi.

"I've come for you..." Said Itachi with a smirk as he released her hands knowing she was too scared to move and pulled a blade out of his inner jacket pocket and brought it up to her neck. Hinata quickly grabbed at it, remembering what happened just earlier that day, after a knife had been pressed against her neck, she knew she was powerless. This time she tried to get to the knife, cutting a long thin cut across her palm horizontally and then she tried to roll away. Doing so caused her to begin to fall to the floor, along with Itachi. Just as Hinata hit the floor…

she woke up, face down on the floor with her legs tangled up in the sheets. She realized she was dreaming and had fallen off of the bed. She picked herself up and sat back down on the bed, thinking about how real the dream felt. She remembered even feeling his breath which scared her. A small tear slid down her cheek because of how scared she was of how scary the dream was because of how realistic it was.

The tear hit her hand and it stung which made Hinata want to look at her hand. She turned on the light and looked at her hand. She began to scream at the cut on her hand, the same one from the dream.

The others were soon in Hinata's room, Naruto in his orange pajamas and strange brown hat, Sakura in a light pink nightgown that reached her knees with a low cut, Sasuke and Kakashi were both in dark pajama bottoms, and Sasuke had a baggy white T-shirt while Kakashi wore a white wife beater.

"Hinata! What's wrong?!" asked Sakura who had placed a hand on each of her shoulders, trying to shake her out of it as she had your knees curled up to her with her hands on the sides of her head.

Hinata realized she now safe and jumped towards Sakura, wrapping her arms around the pink haired girls neck and sobbing.

"What happened?" asked Kakashi, a lot more serious than usual.

That's when he noticed a couple drops of blood on the ground where Hinata had been sitting.

"Where did the blood come from?" asked Sasuke who also noticed.

By now, Hinata calmed down a bit and held up her hand for the others to see the gash on it.

"H-he was h-here…I-Itachi…w-was h-here…" said Hinata as she tried her best to thing of a way to explain the situation which was not working out so well since she could hardly believe it happened.

"Itachi?!" yelled Naruto in disbelief as well.

Sasuke punched the wall, causing the plaster to crack and the impact made Hinata jump as she was surprised at the sudden anger.

"This isn't good, he knows where you are. Sakura?" asked Kakashi as he turned his gaze to her.

"Yes?" said Sakura as her hand continued to rub circles on Hinata's back to calm her down and the contact did help.

"Can Hinata stay in your room tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, she can stay as long as she wants." She replied, wanting to keep Hinata safe.

"We'll discuss this matter more in the morning, not much to do now but to go to bed and try to finish getting a good night's rest." said Kakashi as he left the room.

Sasuke continued to glare at the wall for a moment longer but followed Naruto out of the room when he knew that Itachi was long gone and not much revenge could be taken now.

"Shall we go and take a look at your hand?" asked Sakura with a small smile as she helped Hinata to stand up after seeing her nod.

"Thank you." stated Hinata in a small voice.

"Of course! You're like a sister to me." Sakura said in a cheery tone as the two of them walked into the bathroom.

The stark white bathroom would have had a hospital feeling were it not for the messiness of it. Tubes of toothpaste were spread around, you could swear mold was growing in one of the corners as the sink slowly dripped water. The floor was wet and covered with wet towels and clothes alike.

"This is the boys' bathroom, I have my own and we're going to go to that one instead. This is just gross!" said Sakura as she lifted up what appeared to be a shirt with her forefinger and thumb being careful to touch it as little as possible as it dripped onto the floor.

Hinata had had her own bathroom as well so she never needed to use this one. She was amazed at how they could clean themselves up in this room when it was this dirty.

The duo walked into Sakura's room and Hinata saw her bed was a queen size with a light jade quilt cover which was in disarray from her climbing out of it so fast after hearing her scream. Her walls were a plain white with not much for decoration except for some pictures of her and the others on the wall next to her mirror.

Sakura led Hinata to her bathroom which proved to be much cleaner. She wrapped her hand in gauze after cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. It had stung but Hinata lived through it just fine. After that was done, Sakura walked back into the room and climbed into the right side of the bed and Hinata followed suit with the opposite side.

"Good night." said Sakura as she faced the wall which Hinata did as well since she wasn't comfortable with others seeing her sleep.

"G-good night." replied Hinata as you lay there for a little longer, thinking about what Itachi had said until she finally fell into a restless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Begin**

The next morning, Hinata awoke still very tired as she kept waking up in the night from Itachi's eyes haunting her dreams

The next morning, Hinata awoke still very tired as she kept waking up in the night from Itachi's eyes haunting her dreams. She sat up groggily in the sunlight, noticing Sakura was still sleeping as well. She made sure to make as little noise as possible when she got up and left the room. Hinata walked into her own room once more, still in her nightgown and looked at the alarm clock sitting on the end table next to the lamp.

'So it's only eight o'clock, huh?' she thought herself.

Hinata rummaged through the drawers of the dresser and grabbed out some old clothes Sakura had given her so that Hinata had something to wear when cleaning. Sakura had told Hinata she didn't need to clean but Hinata had insisted since she was living under their roof for no cost.

After doing her usual morning routine, Hinata changed and walked into the kitchen. She pulled the cupboards under the sink open and fortunately found some cleaning supplies. After seeing the bathroom last night, she decided to clean it as an apology for waking them all up.

She grabbed a bucket from the closet in the kitchen along with an old rag. After gathering up her supplies in the bucket, Hinata walked into the bathroom. The mold looked as if it had expanded since last night but she ignored that for the moment because it creeped her out but ignoring it didn't last long because the mold seemed ready to attack her.

Hinata grabbed the bleach and poured some on the mold to let it soak and it immediately began to take effect. She picked up all the clothes and towels and brought them to the washer and put those in. After starting that, she began scrubbing the bathtub, sink, floors, and walls where they needed it so she was scrubbing everywhere.

Hinata heard the washer buzz and stopped her scrubbing but before she left the bathroom, she poured a bit more bleach on the mold since it had seemed to soak up the previous stuff but it had also decreased in size. Hinata took the clothes and towels from the washer and put them in the dryer. After completing that, she walked back into the bathroom and scrubbed at the moldy spot which she had held off to do last.

Hinata stood on the threshold of the bathroom and looked at her work proudly. Everything was clean, neat, and orderly. The clothes and towels were neatly folded on the dryer waiting for their respective owners to claim them. Having her own bathroom she hadn't ever realized how dirty theirs was or she would have cleaned it sooner. Naruto had woken up and was walking by Hinata, still in his pajamas, when he noticed the bathroom.

"Whoa..." was all he could say at the immaculately clean bathroom.

Hinata became startled and jumped when she heard someone behind her.

"G-good morning, N-Naruto." she said with a small smile. "Anything you m-may have h-had in there is on the d-dryer." continued Hinata with a light blush on your cheeks, hoping he wasn't offended at her for going through their things.

"Thanks! It looks tons better!" said Naruto with his big cheesy grin as he walked into the laundry room.

"You're welcome." said Hinata as he walked away.

Hinata walked back into her room and changed into some jeans and a slightly baggy light blue T-shirt. As she was changing, she could hear Naruto yelling from the laundry room.

"Sweet! My lucky boxers! I thought they were lost forever!!" yelled Naruto. "Thanks, Hinata! I'll make you some cereal, too!"

Hinata blushed as she hadn't realized those were someone's underwear, she thought they were gym shorts. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she washed her hands in her bathroom to free herself from the chemicals she had used. When that was done, she decided to join Naruto for breakfast since she had worked up an appetite with cleaning. She didn't want Naruto to go through the trouble of making her food so she hurried into the kitchen.

Hinata was smiling as she walked into the kitchen but the smile faded when she saw Naruto lying on the ground next to a milk carton which was releasing its contents around him.

"N-Naruto! Are y-you okay?!" asked Hinata as she began to rush towards him.

Before Hinata could take more than a couple of steps into the kitchen, something pushed her pressure points on her neck, causing her to pass out and seeing only darkness.

**Author's Notes**

I'm sorry this chapter was really short as well. And I realize it's pretty much Hinata cleaning but I'll get the next one up right away! I promise the next chapter will be more than just cleaning!


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes**

Hello, I thank you all for your wonderful reviews and I hope I was able to get the next chapter out quick enough. Enjoy!

**Begin**

Hinata awoke still hungry, shivering, and still in a drowsy state as she tried to recollect of what had happened

Hinata awoke still hungry, shivering, and still in a drowsy state as she tried to recollect of what had happened. The last thing she could remember is Naruto lying on the floor and then just darkness. She held a hand up to her head as it slightly hurt and found that when she moved her hand, there was a clanking sound of chains. Looking down from her sitting position, Hinata noticed that her wrists and ankles were bound to the wall. She had about two feet of slack for her ankles and three feet for her wrists which meant she wouldn't have to stand the whole time she was in there.

Hinata looked around her surroundings to see a dank and smelly cell with rusty bars for a door surrounded by damp large gray stones which in fact, composed the whole cell. There was no window so time was something she wasn't going to learn anytime soon. Hinata shuddered again, the coldness and wetness of the cave beginning to affect her. Her clothes were damp which made her even colder. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around the top of them in a feeble attempt to at least get a little warmer.

Tears started to slide down Hinata's cheeks once more as she worried about Naruto. She was also crying because things had been seemingly increasing optimistic wise and now this. She didn't know where she was, she was cold, tired and hungry. As if on cue, her stomached growled loudly. She put a hand gently over her stomach, hoping for the hunger to subside for just a bit so she could think more clearly. Hinata put her arm back on her knees as it had been earlier and leaned her head against the wall, eyes still closed since she couldn't see anything in the dark cell anyways.

The sound of a door opening startled Hinata, causing her to jump out of her silent reverie. She looked up and saw her cell door illuminated in a yellow light from another door having been opened. She was somewhat hopeful she would be let out but still shrank back, knowing that whoever put her in here hasn't been very kind so far to begin with.

Her terror escalated with each step that echoed loudly in her ears as the person who kidnapped Hinata came ever closer. Her eyes were wide, her heartbeat erratic, and her breathing getting hitched in her throat. All she could see was a shadowy silhouette as they unlocked the cell to her door, tears now streaming down her face in absolute fear.

Hinata cringed into the corner as best she could while the shadowy figure made their way into the center of the room. Their arm reached up and grasped onto something she hadn't noticed before and pulled. She hid your face as her eyes burned from the bright light that swept through the room. After a few blinks, Hinata's eyes quickly adjusted and so she looked up to see red hair and unnaturally pale skin. She recognized the person to be none other than Sasori.

"I was sent here to unlock you." Sasori said as he stepped closer to Hinata in order to unlock her bindings.

"Th-thank you…" said Hinata timidly, happy to be free of the chains since now she could stretch her sore muscles.

Hinata stood there with her legs slightly shaking, holding a hand on the wall for support until her legs had feeling in them again. Sasori waited patiently for a moment and then began to speak.

"Itachi was incredibly angry with your escape but we were able to calm him down so he won't kill you but there will still be punishment. Treat him with the utmost respect and listen to everything he says if you value your life in any way whatsoever." He said speaking more now than Hinata ever heard him say.

She nodded with tears in her eyes as she was beginning to dread of what now lay ahead.

The walk out of the cell was silent as Hinata followed Sasori up a series of stairs and through many twists and turns until they were in a familiar hallway that she remembered led to her room…and Itachi's.

Sasori stopped at Itachi's door and said "You are to wait in here until Itachi returns."

Hinata nodded and stepped into the room. Sasori closed the door behind her and after the door closed, she heard a soft click as a key obviously locked the door.

Hinata looked at the carpet with sad eyes, back into a situation worse than before. She vaguely wondered if the door to her room was locked or not but didn't want to risk stretching Itachi's patience further by not being in the correct room as she was told. Her back and neck both still hurt from lying in the cell when she noticed the very comfortable looking bed.

Hinata knew that she shouldn't sleep, especially in Itachi's bed, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to just sit on it. She sat down and immediately was welcomed with a feeling of comfort making lying down too irresistible. Hinata lay down under the covers with her head on the pillow and fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from lack of sleep the night before and all of that cleaning.

**Itachi's Point of View**

Itachi arrived home after having to go to a meeting that involved politics and more plans for that little hick town so he was in an even fouler mood since he had more important things to tend to. He still had Hinata's punishment to deal with after her little escapade. Possessive thoughts ran through his mind since he figured that whatever he wanted was his, which included Hinata.

Itachi stormed through the large double doors before the butler could get a chance to open it and began storming up the stairs. Maids, butlers, and his partners knew better than to even look at him when he was like this and they all swiftly moved out of the way as he walked past.

He soon arrived at his own door and unlocked it with the key that Sasori had given him without saying a word while he was walking up to the bedroom where he knew she would be. He stepped in and closed the door again, making sure it was locked since he now held the only key to it.

He turned and was taken aback at not seeing Hinata anywhere at first but then his eyes fell on the small figure curled up on the edge of his bed. Itachi walked over and looked down at her sleeping figure and watched her content face as she dreamed of pleasant things. Looking at Hinata, her punishment entered his mind and he knew exactly what to do in order to make sure she didn't escape again.

Letting her sleep, Itachi undressed down to his boxers and put on a silk pair of black pajama bottoms. Itachi then crawled into the other side of the bed since it was his and he was going to sleep in it whether or not Hinata was there. He was tired out from worrying about how to get his possession back the past week.

**Hinata's Point of View**

Hinata moaned lightly in her sleep, not liking that there was a warmer spot on the bed and she wasn't in it. In her drowsy state and with closed eyes, Hinata scooted closer to the warm spot and snuggled into it. She was thoroughly enjoying the warmth and became even more delighted as she felt as though she was being wrapped up in it. Something caught her off guard though, causing her to wake up more because the heat source was in fact moving.

Hinata realized that she was still in Itachi's bed but she wasn't alone! She looked up with her hands now against her chest and saw the sleeping face of Itachi. He had one arm underneath Hinata wrapped around her waist and the other across her back, holding you tightly against him.

Hinata's face heated up and became as the red as the room, especially when she realized he was shirtless. She began to scoot away from his sleeping form but of course, he reacted by holding her closer and more tightly. Hinata's hands were now on his chest so as to keep a little distance between them, if only a few centimeters more.

She slowly tried to move again and failed once more but this time she heard a small chuckle and felt the vibration from where her hands were placed on his chest. Hinata's eyes shot up and met with his as he had his head now propped up on an elbow, smirking at her, still holding her close with his other hand.

"Have a nice nap?" he asked, still smirking.

"I'm s-sorry…" said Hinata apologizing for sleeping in his bed, looking away out of both embarrassment and fear.

"You seem to enjoy cuddling I noticed." he added on with his smirk still there, noticing her blush somehow impossibly increase.

Itachi then released her, rolling onto his back and putting his hands behind his head, closing his eyes once more. Hinata took advantage of being released and quickly climbed off the bed. She now stood there staring at him, wondering as to what was going to happen now.

"As for your punishment it has been decided." said Itachi knowing that Hinata would be wondering about this part.

Hinata waited for him to finish but became more and more impatient as he seemed to be taking his time and drawing out your anticipation.

"For you punishment, you will no longer have your own room but instead, share mine which will prevent further escape attempts." Itachi finished, making everything clear to Hinata. She stood there shocked that she now had to share a room with a man she hardly knew and that held her captive!


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes**

Yay! Finally finished this chapter! I worked really hard on it so as to give more insight into Itachi's mind and cover a few things. I love reading everyone's reviews! The ones calling him a pervert made me laugh for a really long time! I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

**Begin**

Hinata stood there, shocked that she now had to share a room with the man who held her captive

Hinata stood there, shocked that she now had to share a room with the man who held her captive. She was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard Itachi ask her something.

"What happened to the kimono?" asked Itachi in a calm demeanor.

Hinata knew he was referring to the red one she was supposed to use for her day time outfit. When she had first got there, she hung it up in the closet for safe keeping.

"It's s-still in K-Konoha." she replied meekly, knowing he would most likely be mad.

"That's too bad for you then." said Itachi with a smirk.

The fact that he wasn't mad scared Hinata more than if he would have been upset. She knew he had to be angry since the kimono was so lovely and surely didn't come cheap.

"B-bad for m-me?" Hinata asked in a small voice.

"Then it means you have to do your work naked." replied Itachi, still keeping that smirk on his face.

"Wh-what?" she said in a higher pitched tone. "B-but-" she began but she was interrupted by Itachi.

"But nothing. You lost it, you pay the consequences." he said in an angry tone.

After saying that he turned onto his side, his back to Hinata, to signal that the conversation was done.

Hinata let out a small sigh, wondering of how to get out of this precarious situation. No matter what, she would not work naked. That was for sure. She let out a small yawn, shocked that she could still be tired after already having slept so much. She looked at the clock to see that it was ten to eleven. Hinata walked over to the curtains and barely peeked through the side to see the sun was going down, making her figure it was eleven o clock at night. She was shocked that she had slept so long as she usually couldn't, her body would become too restless.

As Hinata was peeking through the slit out the open window, the smell of cleaners wafted up to her nose. She remembered that she had been cleaning earlier that day and the scent had still clung onto her arms, even after washing them. Hinata glanced over at Itachi, whose body was slowly rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern. After watching him for a few more seconds, she finally guessed he had fallen asleep.

With that somewhat safe thought in mind, she walked over to where she recalled the bathroom door to be. Hinata opened the door and stepped in; only after closing the door did she turn on the light so as not to awaken Itachi. What she had failed to notice before stepping in, because Itachi's back had been to her, was that his gaze was now looking in the direction of the closed bathroom door.

**Itachi's Point of View**

Itachi lay on his back again, with his arms behind his head, just thinking. He was surprised at himself that he went to such lengths just to get a servant back. If they ever escaped, he usually just had Zetsu kill them. Or if they were virgins they were caught and given to Hidan for his 'rituals'.

Something about this Hinata girl was different though. She was so small, frail, and innocent. Other personal servants he had were usually loud, obnoxious, and fought way too much for escape. Even in a captured state she was still able to thank him when Zetsu got a little too chummy with her. Not a lot of girls were like that.

Itachi recalled back to the first time he saw her up close. Her lavender eyes glistened with tears in the moonlight as her small frame shivered out of fear. After he hit her, he had felt a twinge of guilt in the back of his mind. What else amazed him was how he wanted her to stay close to him, going so far as to have her punished to his room. Itachi pushed the thought out of his mind that he was developing feelings for her. He could have any woman he wanted, why would he go for some little meek girl.

'Because she's different.' whispered a little voice in his subconscious which caused Itachi to become angry and literally punch the thought out of his head, thinking back to other things.

Itachi decided he wouldn't share a bed with her so as to prevent what had happened earlier with snuggling and stuff. Itachi was a guy, bottom line, and even though he was an evil one, he still knew how to hold back from doing that sort of thing to a woman. Itachi decided to go tell Deidara to get a spare bed for the room so that Hinata could at least not be forced to sleep next to him.

With that decided in his mind, Itachi got up, put on his a dark red baggy T-shirt and left the room. He found Deidara and told him to get a spare bed for his room and then he went to the kitchen. They were only a couple of maids in there since it was so late at night but he put them to work by telling them to make something for Hinata since she hadn't eaten. On his way back up to his room, he was stopped in the middle of the stairs by Deidara.

"There aren't any single spare beds at the moment and any bigger and you wouldn't be able to walk in the bedroom, un." said Deidara, hiding a mischievous smirk from Itachi.

"Then get one tomorrow morning. No later." replied the now annoyed Itachi, knowing that there wouldn't be any stores open this late.

"Will do, Itachi-sama, yeah!" said an overly enthusiastic Deidara, now hurriedly walking away.

Itachi looked at Deidara as though he were demented.

'No more sugar for him.' thought Itachi, not realizing that Deidara was lying about the beds.

Deidara was now somewhere else, giggling happily and talking Sasori's ear off about his 'great prank'.

Itachi walked back into his room and looked around, seeing that Hinata still had yet to get out of the tub. The maids had brought up a small meal of chicken soup, along with crackers, grapes, and a cup of tea. Knowing that the food was going to get cold, Itachi smirked as he figured out a way to make Hinata get out of the tub quickly.

**Hinata's Point of View**

Hinata looked at the elegant bathroom once again, admiring the lightness which helped to ease her mood a little. She walked over to the bathtub and turned on the faucets, making the water turn to her desired temperature. After plugging the tub, Hinata let the water begin to fill up and noticed that one of the bottles on the wall was actually for bubble baths! She eagerly grabbed it and popped it open and poured some in the tub, bubbles already beginning to form.

The smell reached her nose and it reminded Hinata of vanilla and sugar. She was very curious as to why a man would have such a feminine scent for bubble bath soap. But she dismissed the thought for now as she had only wanted to relax for the moment. She looked and saw a towel rack with large white plush towels. Hinata grabbed one off of the rack and set it to the side.

With that done, she began to strip herself of her clothes, having forgotten to see if the door was locked. She made sure her short hair was up and out of the way so as to not get bubbles in it since she preferred to shower in the morning since it helped to wake her up.

Hinata set one foot into the tub and then the other. She eased yourself down into the warm water; laying her head against the headrest she had noticed when she first came here. She let out a sigh of contentment, her muscles relaxing and letting herself be at ease. After about a half an hour of just relaxing, Hinata finally let thoughts enter her mind.

'What am I going to do now?' she began thinking.

She had no idea of how to escape, nor did she have any idea as to how she was going to get out of working naked!

Hinata was so lost in thought that the clicking sound of the bathroom door opening hadn't reached her ears. Only when she heard it shut again, did she look up and gasp. Itachi was in the bathroom now, in nothing but his boxers. She quickly sat more upright and brought her knees up to her chest, with the bubbles thankfully covering anything he wasn't supposed to see.

'Wh-when did he w-wake up?' thought Hinata as her face darkened more and more.

Without a single glance her way and an apathetic face, he walked over to the shower and turned on the faucets. Once she saw his thumbs hook onto the elastic lining of his boxers, Hinata let out a small squeak and quickly closed her eyes while holding her head down. When she heard the sliding glass door open and close again, she barely peeked up to make sure he was in.

Seeing his silhouette in the glass, Hinata quickly grabbed the towel, stood up, and wrapped it around her. She picked her clothes up off of the floor, unplugged the bathtub, and ran out all within seconds. After shutting the door once again, she leaned on it, her head against it as well. She let out a couple of quick breaths, her face red from the heat and embarrassment.

Not wanting to stand there naked in a towel when Itachi got out, Hinata let it fall from herr body and quickly changed back into her clothes since she had no other ones. Just after she had put on her underwear and bra, she noticed a large black T-shirt and black silk shorts lying on the bed with a slip of white paper on top, next to a tray of food. Hinata walked over after having wrapped the towel around her again and picked up the note.

'Eat and wear these to bed tonight.' was all the note said.

Hinata was surprised at the small act of kindness and was eager to accept it since sleeping in her clothes wouldn't be as comfortable and she was really hungry. She dropped the towel once more and hurriedly put on the shirt and shorts. After that, she began to eat the delicious food.

Just as she finished, Hinata could no longer hear the sound of running water, and so she figured he was done in the shower. Hinata stood there, not knowing what else to do since it would have been too awkward to have been lying in his bed again. She had set the dinner tray on the night stand next to the table since she didn't want to leave the room and get Itachi angry.

After another minute of waiting, Itachi stepped out of the bathroom, now wearing a black wife beater with red silk pants. Hinata only stood next to the bed, on the side closer to the bathroom door. Itachi stood just out of the bathroom and smirked.

"You look good in my clothes." he said still holding that ever famous smirk.

Hinata blushed a little and quietly said "Th-thank you for b-borrowing me some clothes and f-for the f-food."

Itachi only scoffed at your remark.

"Do you know how difficult it would be to sleep with someone tossing and turning because they can't get comfortable and the with the noise of their stomach going all night?" he asked in more of a statement than a question so Hinata stayed silent. Continuing he said "I'm a light sleeper; I can feel every move that is made."

At the last statement, he was no longer smirking but had a serious face as though he was saying it as more of a warning than fun facts. Hinata gulped and nodded slowly, not meeting him in the eye but gazing at the floor instead. When she glanced up again, he was gone. She quickly turned around, noticing that he was already climbing in bed. He lay down on his side, his back to her again.

Hinata glanced at the clock to see that it was now a quarter after midnight. She stood there for five more minutes, not sure what to do.

"Are you just going to stand there all night or get into bed?" Itachi said in an angry voice.

Hinata had been looking around the dark room and looked over at him when she heard his voice and saw him glaring at her. A small blush of embarrassment came to her cheeks and she nodded meekly in response. After seeing her response, he turned back around and was silent again.

Hinata gently lifted the covers and slowly slid into the large bed. She lay down as close to the edge as she could, so as to not get too close to Itachi again. She was lying there for about ten to fifteen minutes, just listening to Itachi's even breathing. She was thinking of how he wasn't so bad. He gave her food, clothes, and was now even sharing her bed with her. Although he turned his head, Hinata had still caught a glimpse of the ever so light pink that grazed his cheeks after she thanked him. After a bit more thinking, sleep finally claimed her.

Hinata began having one of those pleasant dreams that were very rare for anyone to have. In her dream, she was sitting with the person she loved most in the world in a nice, cozy little home while the baby was sleeping in the next room over. As in most of these kinds of dreams people have of their treasured ones, she couldn't see his face but she just knew the love was there.She was curled up against her loved one while sitting on the couch. Hinata leaned up and gave him a small peck on the lips. Then the baby began to cry from the next room over, wanting to be fed.

Hinata woke up at the sound of the baby in her dream and sat there groggily. She looked around, not knowing where she was since she was still mostly asleep. She looked over and saw Itachi lying on his back, with his eyes still closed.

He knew it was safe to sleep with Hinata in the room since he knew she couldn't hurt him even if she tried.

Hinata kneeled and crawled the short distance that separated the two of them, not really knowing what she was doing since she was sleep walking…crawling. Once she was kneeled above him, Hinata stayed like that with her eyes glazed over. She was still in her dream, with her 'beloved'.

Sensing that someone was looking at him, Itachi woke up and saw Hinata kneeling there just staring at him.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a small growl hidden in his voice.

He was angry with the fact that Hinata woke him up and now she was staring at him with a weird look in her eyes.

Hinata however, was still dreaming and a small soft smile went on her face with her eyes still glazed over. Itachi looked at her questioningly but was thrown for a loop when he heard a small phrase come from her lips.

"I love you."

After saying that Hinata closed her eyes and bent down. Itachi was shocked as her soft lips touched his in a light kiss. He didn't have time to react since Hinata then pulled away within a split second.

She then lay back down with her head on his shoulder, cuddling up to him again. Itachi lay there, shock and a 'what the hell just happened' look spread across his face when it finally registered.

'She's still sleeping.' he thought as he rubbed his forehead with his free hand. 'This is punishment to me, not her.'

In the end, he let Hinata stay like that and fell back asleep as well.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes**

I'm sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter out! I had to travel out of town today and so I wasn't able to get to it until tonight. I apologize the chapter is short but I'm working on the next one right away and hope to have it up within the hour! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Begin**

Hinata woke up from the world of dreams, relieved to find herself on the side of the bed she started in. She let out a small sigh of relief that she hadn't cuddled up next to Itachi again, not knowing what she did last night. She looked over to find that Itachi was in fact not even in the bed.

'I m-must have slept in…' thought Hinata as she glanced at the clock to see that it was nine o' clock.

Hinata stood up and stretched, still thinking about her clothing predicament. That's when something caught her eye, laying at the foot of the bed. She walked over and picked up a beautiful kimono. Looking at it, she realized it would suit her much better than the red. It was a dark blue that was only a shade above her hair. There were also light lavender flowers on the bottom which would bring out her eyes. On the floor next to the bed, was a pair of matching sandals.

Hinata hugged it to her chest with a small blush. The kimono was almost too perfect, as though it was made just for her. She smiled and brought it into the bathroom with her, laying it on the sink as neatly as she could. Hinata quickly stripped herself and hopped into the shower, washing herself with what appeared to be a new bottle of vanilla shampoo.

After a quick hot shower, she dried herself off with large plush white towels. With the towel still wrapped around her, Hinata quickly walked over to the kimono and excitedly put it on. By now, the steam had dissipated and she was able to see herself clearly in the mirror. She couldn't help but smile as she thought she didn't look half-bad for once.

Now that she was ready, Hinata once again stepped into the hallway in fear, still not knowing how to get to the main entrance area from here. Her luck soon changed when Deidara walked around the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks with wide eyes when he saw her.

"Is s-something w-wrong?" asked Hinata with fear evident in her tone.

Deidara kept looking at her with shock and an open mouth until he finally got himself together and put on a goofy grin.

"You're super cute, yeah!" said Deidara as he stepped forward.

"Th-thank you." replied Hinata with a red face as she looked at the ground.

"Would you like help finding the kitchen again, Hinata-chan. Un?" asked Deidara as he held out a hand for her.

"Yes, p-please. Thank y-you." responded Hinata as she lightly placed his hand in his.

Deidara bowed down slightly and kissed the top of her hand, not able to resist with her cuteness. He released her hand and began walking, making sure to walk slow enough for her to keep up with. The walk was mostly silent and they soon made it there and Hinata helped them to make breakfast, everyone in the kitchen liking her almost instantly.

As the week went on, Hinata met the other members who included Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, Konan, and Pein. Some had scared her at first but when they all saw how cute Hinata was; they were all charmed by her innocence. Hinata was able to get along with everyone there which made things a lot easier for her. Even Zetsu wasn't ever trying to eat her but instead he took her out to his private garden once in a while. He became Hinata's favorite, she loved the garden.

More and more time went by, in fact, a month flew by since Hinata returned. Itachi had let her go back into her other room so she had some privacy. That's what he claimed but he didn't think continuously having her sleep in his room wasn't such a good idea anymore. Hinata didn't understand but she gladly obliged, even though he had put a single sized bed in there for her which helped a little.

Hinata thought back to Itachi, she was surprised as to how kind he actually was. She remembered when she once asked him why he did that to her family.

"The world is destroying itself. By taking control I can save them and the Earth's resources." he simply replied while doing paperwork

"B-but, wouldn't it b-be better for p-people to know what's g-going on instead? D-doing it this way, th-they don't r-realize their mistakes and s-so they'll never l-learn…" said Hinata, wondering as to why Itachi would want to be alone in an entire planet of vegetated people.

Itachi stayed silent and so Hinata didn't attempt to further the conversation any further.

Hinata was taken out of her past memories when one of the maids spoke to her. She looked up from the chair she was sitting in and saw a maid who said she had a message from Itachi.

"Itachi would like you to bring tea for two to his study." said the maid with a small smile.

Hinata replied and quickly began making the tea, having learned how to make it to Itachi's liking. Once the water boiled, she set the tray and soon was on her way to Itachi's study. That was another thing she finally learned, Hinata was able to get around the mansion quite well and she no longer got lost which saved up a lot of time.

Standing in front of the large study doors, she could hear a couple of voices come from the inside. Hinata held the tray on one arm and quickly knocked lightly with the other. She immediately opened the door when she heard Itachi saying to enter. Hinata held both her hands on the tray again and pushed the door fully open with her elbow. She almost dropped the tray when she saw the other person in the room who Itachi was speaking with.

Itachi looked at her questioningly and his gaze became even more suspicious when he looked at Orochimaru, who was in the process of licking his lips with that disgustingly long tongue.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes**

Enjoy!

**Begin**

Hinata stood frozen in fear but quickly shook herself out of it and walked over to Itachi's desk. She set the tray on the desk and began pouring the tea. Orochimaru was still looking at her with an odd look in his eyes which began to anger Itachi.

"Back to the conversation," began Itachi in an annoyed tone, "where you were demanding reparations for your stolen formula?"

"Ah, yes. I think that stealing my things and using them to your benefit is something quite underhanded and deceitful. We were once partners and you go and stab me in the back." replied Orochimaru, complaining about Itachi's subordinates having stolen his mind-numbing formula.

"If I may remember correctly, you're the one who decided to leave in the first place. Anyways, just what are your demands?" asked Itachi, glaring at Orochimaru.

"Considering I created it, there are a few things I'm sure we can negotiate." said Orochimaru as his gaze traveled once again to Hinata.

Hinata didn't notice the gaze since her eyes were looking at the ground in shock, not knowing there would be an antidote. Itachi, however, did catch the gaze and decided to deal with the matter quickly.

"Hinata, you may take your leave." said Itachi with authority.

Hinata looked at him and nodded with a small bow as she had become accustomed to do with her stay here. Once she was outside of the door, she couldn't help but eavesdrop to hear more about what happened.

**Itachi's Point of View**

Itachi glared at Orochimaru who in turn, only smirked.

"What would you like for compensation?" asked Itachi, becoming angered.

"That was a very nice looking maid that was just here…I think she wou-" began Orochimaru.

"She is not an option in this agreement." interrupted Itachi without hiding irritation.

"Ooh, touchy spot with that one. Is she that special to you?" asked Orochimaru as he lounged in the chair, lightly toying with a strand of his hair.

"Name your terms before I change my mind." replied Itachi impatiently.

"Alright, half a million and renewing of the partnership would suffice." said Orochimaru.

Itachi considered his options for a few moments, but decided that he didn't want to take part in Orochimaru's diabolical plans. The last time they worked together, the snake-like man would test his formulas on humans, killing the majority of them. He would also dissect and test their brains while they were still alive. Itachi would have none of that.

"How about a million and call it even?" said Itachi, crossing his arms and showing that was the final offer.

"Agreed." answered Orochimaru, eager to accept that large quantity of money.

What Itachi didn't know was that the deceitful man had other plans which would get him everything he wanted. Orochimaru couldn't help but smirk as they shook hands and he stood to take his leave.

"Pleasure doing business with you." said Orochimaru as he walked away and out of the room.

**Hinata's Point of View**

Hinata's heart almost stopped when the man who once threatened her was attempting to take her once again. She let out a sigh of relief when Itachi immediately denied Orochimaru. Realizing there was nothing more for her to worry about, Hinata began to wander the halls aimlessly, having become accustomed to them.

She was surprised to hear that this world that she was forcefully introduced into was much more deceptive than she first realized. Hinata was shaken out of her thoughts as a cold voice from behind her.

"Hello once again." said Orochimaru.

Hinata quickly turned and backed away from him. She remembered what happened last time and was not about to let him get close enough to do it again. The fear was evident in her eyes and she kept a wary stance so she could run any second she needed to.

"Do not fret, young child. I'm here to help you." began Orochimaru as he held up a small knife with a gleaming golden handle which caused Hinata to back away more. "I have the antidote, which I'm sure you would like to have?"

Hearing this, Hinata stopped in her tracks and looked at him with shock. She would be able to save her family!?

"The only thing I request is a small price for saving all of the people he hurt with his selfishness." said Orochimaru, pushing aside the fact that he was the one who made it in the first place.

He saw that he had her attention, he continued.

"Take this and kill Itachi while he sleeps tonight." finished Orochimaru as he held out the blade for her to take.

Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing how she would be able to do such a thing but if it was for her family…she took the knife from his hand and stared at it.

"Good, once it is done, you shall have the antidote." said Orochimaru, now walking away from her.

Hinata ran to her room, holding the knife flat against her chest. Once in her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing heavily as she gazed at the shining metal. She knew she had to take this chance to save her family.

**Fast Forward**

Nightfall came faster than Hinata had wanted it to. People were curious as to why she locked herself away in her room but left her to be, thinking she was sick. She sat on her bed for many hours, until the clock read to be two in the morning.

Hinata couldn't wait or think on it any longer. She shouldn't even have to, after all this was the man who hurt her family and kidnapped her. She opened her door and walked across the hallway into the bathroom she now used and closed the door. She splashed cold water on her face to help prepare herself.

After doing that, she walked back into her own room, knowing that the connecting door was more silent than the hallway door. Hinata slowly opened the door, holding the blade close to her beating heart. Once the door was fully opened, she stepped in the bedroom and closed it. The moonlight shone through the open curtains and lit up the room.

Hinata walked over to the bed, as slowly and quietly as she could manage, careful not to breathe to loud. She was soon standing next to Itachi's bed, trying to gather up courage to carry out the revenge for her family.

Itachi lay there on his shirtless back, the sheet only going up to his waist. Hinata could see him clearly in the moonlight, breathing evenly and calmly unlike Hinata who could barely catch her breath at all.

She knew she had to do it or risk losing her family forever and so Hinata grabbed the handle of the blade with both hands and poised the sharp object above her head, ready to strike down on the oblivious Itachi.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Notes**

Thank you all so much for you reviews! They really help me with the story and as to where I should go from the previous chapter. I hope Itachi doesn't get too out of character in this chapter, if he does, just let me know and I'll fix it! I hope you enjoy this next one!

**Begin**

Hinata held the knife above her heard, ready to strike the sleeping form of Itachi. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to think of her family and she bit her lip to try to keep her resolution. Just as she was about to strike…

She dropped the knife.

Hinata just couldn't do it, she couldn't kill him. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she sank to her knees. She held her hands up to her face, the knife lying at her side. Even if it was for her family, Hinata just couldn't take another persons life.

As she was crying, Hinata didn't notice Itachi awaken from his slumber and sit up. He looked around groggily until he caught sight of the small sobbing form.

"What are you doing?" asked Itachi with annoyance and a slight bit of concern in his voice.

Hinata's eyes widened and she looked up to see his red eyes gazing back at her. Looking into his face, the tears overflowed once more and she began to cry even harder.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry! I d-didn't w-want t-to b-but…" began Hinata but she trailed off.

"What are you tal-" questioned Itachi but his unfinished question was answered when he saw the blade glimmering in the moonlight.

Realizing the betrayal, Itachi stood up next to her and with crossed arms, looked down at her accusingly.

"Why did you attempt to kill me?" he asked, no sympathy in his voice, only anger.

"Orochimaru s-said that if I d-did, he w-would g-give me th-the antidote f-for my f-family b-but I c-can't kill you!" responded Hinata, her stuttering almost making her understandable.

Itachi became confused. There wasn't an antidote to undo what he did, granted there was another method though. He looked down at the sobbing and shaking form and sighed. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up bridal style and sat her on the bed. Itachi sat down next to her and cradled her in his arms to help her calm down.

"He was lying, there's no such thing as a remedy, I just have to give the word and they'll go back to their normal lives." said Itachi once Hinata had calmed down a bit.

Hinata looked up at him with a surprised look. She had almost killed him for something that wasn't even real. Tears came anew and she hugged his chest, burying herself in it.

"I'm s-sorry! I should n-never have b-believed h-him!" cried out Hinata as she clutched onto Itachi.

"It's alright, you were only thinking of your family." responded Itachi as he put his hands on either side of her face and pulled softly so that she would look up at him.

Gazing into her shining lavender eyes, Itachi couldn't help but feel guilty for what he had done. He never realized that he would allow himself to grow close to this fragile girl yet he here was, trying to refrain from kissing her right then and there. Looking into her eyes a second longer, Itachi made a big decision that would change all of his future plans.

"I'll undo it and let you go back to your family." said Itachi as he lightly kissed her forehead.

Hinata's hands were gently holding onto his and disbelief could be seen on her face.

"Y-you would d-do that?" she asked, looking up at him once he pulled away.

"Only for you." replied Itachi as an unfamiliar emotion swelled up inside of him.

Hinata threw her arms tightly around Itachi's neck as she began crying tears of happiness. Itachi wrapped his own arms around her waist, just as tight and didn't want to let go. He knew that once he undid it, he would never see Hinata again.

"Thank y-you so m-much…" said Hinata as she clutched onto him.

Hinata was so happy that she would get to be with her family once again and have everything go back to normal.

'Back to n-normal? But wouldn't that m-mean I wouldn't ever s-see any of these p-people again? I w-wouldn't ever see Itachi again?' thought Hinata as a new pain seemed to clutch her heart.

Hinata was baffled as to why the thought of leaving Itachi made her chest ache and made her wish she could stay. She gazed up into his eyes which seemed almost sorrowful? But she tried to shake the thought out of her head. Hinata was merely his servant, nothing more, nothing less…right? Another tear escaped her eye when she began thinking that she would never see this man before her again.

"Now what are you crying for?" asked Itachi, confused since she was supposed to be happy.

"I d-don't know, when I th-think about l-leaving, I g-get sad again…" replied Hinata, equally confused.

Itachi could only sigh as he figured she just went through too many emotions tonight and was extremely puzzled.

"Don't worry about, you'll be fine when you return tomorrow." stated Itachi, figuring it was best to get it done with as soon as possible.

Hinata couldn't help but be surprised and happy, she would get to be with her family again! But once again, there was a pain in her heart only this time, she didn't let it show.

"Are you okay? Now go and get some sleep." Itachi said with tiredness in his voice.

"I'm s-sorry to b-be asking for m-more but c-can I stay in y-your room t-tonight?" asked Hinata, not wanting to leave.

Itachi was surprised that she would want to stay with him but it made him happy nonetheless that he would be able to stay with her one last night. He was careful not to show it though, since he was unsure of why he held such feelings toward this girl.

"On one condition, you don't try to kill me again." said Itachi with an exasperated sigh.

"I p-promise." replied Hinata with a small giggle, not harboring any evil thoughts towards him.

Itachi chuckled as well and lay down, waiting for Hinata to lie down as well so that he could cover them up. Hinata caught the hint and lay down next to him. Once they were both covered, she couldn't help but cuddle up next to him and soon fell into a deep slumber.

Itachi continued to lie there, thinking that this would be the last time he saw her smiling face, her quiet laugh, and her shining eyes. But he knew that this would be best, she should be with her family. Itachi had also been discussing the plans with his subordinates and they decided that what Hinata said was right. There were other ways to help the people from destroying the resources. After a bit more thinking and listening to Hinata's calm breathing, Itachi fell into his own deep sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Notes**

Again, I apologize for any out of character moments; I try to keep them as close as possible. Thanks again for all of your wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

**Begin**

Hinata woke up to the bright sun shining in the room and was saddened by the fact that Itachi was not in the room. At the foot of the bed, she noticed her regular clothing sitting there from when she had first come here. She stood up and walked over to them, picking up her jacket and holding it close to her chest.

'I forgot about these.' thought Hinata to herself as she went to the bathroom and began to change.

Hinata now stood there in front of the mirror, in the same attire she wore when she first came here which was quite ironic for her. She folded up the shorts and shirt Itachi had given her to use for pajamas and placed them neatly on the counter, unsure of what else to do with them.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, Hinata recalled the other clothes that Sakura had lent her which were in her room. She quickly walked into there and grabbed them, holding them close to her chest. She let out a soft sigh, today was the last day she would be here.

'Why am I not happy? I'm going home…' thought Hinata as she tried her best to fight back tears.

Thinking about her family helped so she stepped out into the hallway and saw it empty as usual. But one thing that struck her as odd was the fact that it was exceedingly quiet. There could always be at least one little fight going on between the organization members. She quickly walked down the hallway and into the main area, curious as to where everyone was since it was never this silent before. That's when she could hear a bunch of noise coming from the dining area.

Hinata walked over and meekly opened the door, peering inside and was hit with shock.

"SURPRISE!" yelled all of the maids, butlers, cooks, and organization members; all but Itachi who only stood there and smirked at Hinata's shocked face.

"Wh-what's g-going on?" asked Hinata who was stunned.

"You're leaving so we had to throw you a going away breakfast party, yeah!" said Deidara with a goofy grin.

Tears of happiness fell from Hinata's eyes as they began to hug her, one by one, saying of how they would miss her and how they were so happy to meet her. Even Sasori who was usually emotionless gave her a pat on the head and smiled at her.

"Th-thank you s-so much everyone, you're a-all very k-kind people." stated Hinata as she wiped away a couple of stray tears.

After an hour or so of the small party, the group began to thin out as people had to begin their work but none would leave without one final goodbye to Hinata, causing her to tear up even more. And soon it was only her, Itachi, and a couple of maids cleaning off the table.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Itachi as he patted Hinata's head who was still wiping away tears.

Hinata could only nod, fearing that if she attempted to speak, more tears would come. A small plastic bag was given to her for her clothes so that she wouldn't drop any on the ground.

Itachi led the way to the outside, stopping at the bottom of the steps, a little ways away from the limo. He looked back to see Hinata had stopped as well, gazing at the large mansion for the last time. Hinata put on a small smile so that she could walk towards the future optimistically and began walking towards Itachi but stopped when a loud gunshot echoed throughout the parking lot. Hinata's eyes widened in shock as did Itachi's, who fell to the ground.

"Itachi!" yelled Hinata as she ran forward and knelt by him.

Itachi was gripping onto his left shoulder, gritting his teeth and trying his best to get up to find out who shot him.

"Hinata, get out of the way." said a familiar voice behind her.

She quickly looked up to see the gray haired masked man known as Kakashi, standing behind her. Hinata shook her head, still in shock over what happened. Kakashi looked at her, confused as to why she would protect her captor.

"Sakura, I think he's brainwashed her. You and Naruto hold her back." ordered Kakashi, still pointing the gun at Itachi but was being blocked by Hinata.

"N-no, no you c-can't…" began Hinata as Naruto and Sakura each grabbed one of her arms and pulled her away.

Now that she was about ten feet away, Hinata could see Sasuke walk around from the other side of the limo and stand next to his brother, who was still on the ground in pain. She saw a devilish smirk rise the corner of Sasuke's mouth who proceeded to pull back his leg and kick Itachi where he had been shot. After kicking him, Sasuke bent down and tied Itachi's hands behind his back, so as to prevent any petty escape attempts.

"No!" yelled Hinata as she struggled against the two restraining her but to no avail.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged worried glances with each other, unknowing as to why she was so against the death of the man who held her against her will. But alas, they listened to what Kakashi said and would not let her go.

Sasuke then continued on with what they came here to do and grabbed a fistful of Itachi's hair, bringing him up to his knees, facing Kakashi's gun. Seeing this made Hinata struggle even more.

"No! Don't! P-Please stop!" cried out Hinata with tears falling freely from her eyes.

Kakashi cocked the gun, ignoring the pleas of the dark haired girl but did not quite fire yet as he decided he should do the right thing before killing someone off.

"Do you have any last words you'd like to say?" asked Kakashi, waiting to pull the trigger after seeing Itachi's nod.

"Hinata, I apologize for the times I've hurt you." began Itachi as he glanced towards the sobbing girl, his head still held in place by Sasuke's firm hand. "Even in the short time we've been together, you affected me more than I ever imagined anyone could."

"I-Itachi…" sobbed Hinata, unable to speak as feelings swelled up in her unlike ever before.

"Hinata, I love you." said Itachi with a smile towards Hinata.

"ITACHI!" yelled Hinata as the gun was shot.


	19. Chapter 19

**Begin**

Hinata sat on her knees in the grass, a few tears escaping her eyes as she remembered that day from exactly one year ago as though it had only happened yesterday. She let out a soft sigh as she sat in front of her father's gravestone, pain coursing throughout her body as she thought of the past.

**Back One Year**

Hinata couldn't believe what she had just seen and heard. A man who once thought of her as a lowly servant had just told her he loved her and now…

"No…no…it c-can't be…Itachi!" yelled Hinata as she escaped free from Naruto and Sakura's clutches since their own hands became limp with sympathy for the sobbing girl.

She ran over to Itachi who was now lying face down on the ground, his hands still tied behind his back, and his blood spreading across the pavement. Hinata quickly untied the course rope from his hands and picked up the top half of his body and turned him with a little bit of trouble since she was weak, so that he was lying on her lap. He looked up at her, a glazed look in his eyes and a soft smile on his face.

"Hinata…" he said as he lightly brushed a cold hand against her cheek, wiping away some of her tears.

"Itachi, you c-can't die!" said Hinata as she held his head up with one hand and holding him close with her other. She looked up at the others and yelled "P-please, c-call for h-help!"

No one moved a muscle as they had accomplished what they came to do. They came to exterminate a person who threatened for world dominance and they did. Naruto looked at her with sorrowful eyes while Sakura had tears of her own spilling from her eyes. Kakashi showed only slight sympathy while Sasuke held an apathetic face towards his dying brother.

"P-please help…h-he's different n-now, he's ch-changed…" said Hinata desperately as she held Itachi's body close, his breathing becoming slower, his heartbeat becoming fainter and fainter.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, she ran forward and started to apply pressure to his chest, where the gunshot wound was and quickly looked over at Naruto, knowing he'd be the only one who would help since he was the more emotional than the other two and yelled to him.

"Naruto, call an ambulance!" yelled Sakura as she continued to apply pressure and attempt to stop the blood from flowing out of the open wound.

Sasuke was about to object as Naruto began dialing for help with an orange cell phone but was beaten to it when a hand grabbed Sakura's wrist which pulled hers away from the wound.

"What-" began Sakura but was interrupted by the owner of the hand.

"It's too late…" said Itachi as he felt himself growing colder and weaker as his life faded.

"Itachi…I love you." said Hinata without a single stutter as more tears freed themselves from her eyes.

With the soft smile still on his lips, he reached his hand up and placed it on the nape of her neck, gently pulling. Hinata obliged and leaned down as requested. Itachi slightly lifted his head as their lips met in a passionate kiss. Stray tears fell from Hinata's eyes and landed on his cheek. He let his head drop back into her hand and rubbed her cheek with the hand that just held her neck.

"Goodbye…" said Itachi as his hand fell limp and his eyes glazed over completely.

"I-Itachi...I-Itachi?! ITACHI!" cried out Hinata as she tried shaking him awake but to no avail. "No…don't go…don't leave me…" she continued, holding him close and rocking back and forth.

An ambulance and a police car pulled into the mansion's road, causing the air to be filled with loud sirens and bright flashing lights. But Hinata knew it was too late, she knew nothing could be done.

When the paramedics filed out of the ambulance, she was reluctance to move at first but with coaxing from Deidara, she let them take Itachi from her arms and she began sobbing again. Hinata had lost her love right when she had just found it.

**Forward One Year**

Hinata let out a few more tears fall as she hugged her arms to herself. After Itachi had been shot, people began to come out of the mansion and immediately called for help and so the four quickly left the scene. Hinata never heard from them again.

So now here she sat, in front of her father's grave once again on this sorrowful anniversary. Without knowing it, Hinata had come to love Itachi more than she thought she ever could. She didn't even really believe that she loved him at first but thinking back on his kindness, his playful smirks, and his comforting warmth, Hinata just knew the feelings were true.

Hinata remembered that as the ambulances drove away, she would never see her beloved again. She returned home to her family that same day, even though the depression was coursing through her. The whole town was confused as to what happened since they had no memory of the party or the time they were vegetated. So scientists called it a phenomenon of epidemic amnesia because there was no other explanation that they could conjure since the formula was unknown to them.

Hinata never stepped forward with the truth since she didn't want to reveal her new friends and was also in mourning for quite a while afterwards. She spent many days in her room, just lying in bed, crying every once in a while. Her mother was concerned but thought it was a side affect from the amnesia, unaware of her daughter's broken heart.

The wind began to pick up, making her hair flutter softly and causing Hinata to shiver even though she was wearing a coat. A small smile graced her lips since she knew she had to look towards the future with a smile and let the past make her stronger.

She had decided to carry out Itachi's wishes and try to help make the world a better place. By now, Hinata had helped to organize a few charities and recycling organizations. People were surprised at her sudden boldness but with her likeable personality, a lot of people joined in helping her.

"I love you, Itachi…" whispered Hinata, her words carried away on the wind.

"I love you, too." said an all too familiar voice from behind Hinata.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock as she quickly turned and looked up to see none other than Itachi, clad in a black suit, with a blood red shirt to match his eyes and a black tie to complete the ensemble.

"I-Itachi?" asked Hinata, not believing what she saw standing before her.

"Yes?" he replied, that same smirk on his face.

Tears fell from Hinata's eyes as she jumped up and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, his own arms holding her tightly around the waist.

"I m-missed you s-so m-much, where d-did you g-go?" asked Hinata as she sobbed into his chest.

"I had to recuperate, silly. Getting shot isn't all that healthy." said Itachi playfully as he pulled away from the hug and bent his head down, kissing her gently on the lips.

Hinata smiled and returned the kiss, truly happy for the first time in a year.

Fin

Author's Notes

Thank you all so much for your reviews, a special thanks goes to LovelyMystery, jenniebennie, KagomeMarie, HeartBrokenHinata, ginsensu, Adelaide 'Adell' Peirce, kawaiiitahina123, A Beautiful Death, Mighty Dragon, BlackDiamond07, Mimmy700, and Sincerly-MiSS J for staying with me throughout the story and encouraging me to keep going. I wouldn't have been able to complete it without your wonderful support! I hope you all enjoyed the final chapter of The Shy and The Malignant!


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